He glanced down at the fish briefly then regarded me once more with a hint of a smile. “Allow me to make your acquaintance, Miss. I am Banin Solanum, leader of the Hemlock Hunters of Lakis. We've been tracking down a certain Shadow Dragon necromancer for several months, now. Alas, our travels have finally led us out here into these swampy lands. He is responsible for the deaths of many men, women and children, and his necromantic arts are the very source of this never-ending blight that has plagued our country. Undead and other anomalies have been spotted around here on a daily basis since the Dragon took up residence a few months before the blight began.” He paused to acknowledge my shocked reaction, and then continued. “Please, believe me when I tell you that your life is in danger the longer you remain out here. He holds no remorse for the living and only seeks to use the Forbidden Arts to make these lands forever suffer for his own twisted amusement.”
I continued to stare at Banin in surprise and ignored his concerned tone. The man's unnerving vibes made me skeptical of any integrity his words might have held. Frowning, I stepped back away from him and began heading farther into the swampy lands. For Master Dagg's sake, I felt inclined to keep his sanctuary a secret from the likes of this man.
Banin watched me back away and he extended both hands out to me in a calm, reassuring gesture. “Please, do not run, Miss. I am only here to help you. I will take you back to Lakis where you will have access to food and accommodations. Will you at least tell me your name?”
As I continued watching him cautiously, I took a few more steps back. “No,” I retorted, “I will not. Go away! Leave this place and never return!”
As he advanced, I turned and hastened my steps into the voids of the wetlands.
For a few minutes, he gave chase, calling for me to stop. He nearly caught up with me at one point, but the heavy armor he wore soon induced fatigue in his body. Out of breath, Banin finally slowed to a halt and watched me disappear into the unknown lands of the swamps.
I ran to a tree and hid behind its wide trunk, then peeked out towards where I left Banin, who was now but a small dot in the distance. He eventually left the swamps and I waited a few minutes longer to ensure that he was gone for good before quickly heading back to the cave.
I went to the laboratory where I remained, looking for something — anything to keep me busy. Master Dagg returned not long after, carrying two bags full of new supplies.
Briefly glancing up from my notebook, I noticed the stern, yet calculating expression Master Dagg gave me in return. His gaze was more than enough to affirm that he knew something was troubling me. Strangely, however, he did not confront me about it. Instead, he simply began unloading one of the bags of supplies.
For several minutes, I felt the tension build in the room as I resumed my ‘reading,’ hoping Master Dagg would not question my motives.
When he finished unloading and rearranging his new supplies, he moved towards the large wooden table where I sat. Standing behind my chair, he peered over my shoulder, curious to see what I had been staring at for so long.
“You have been reading that same page for several minutes,” he hissed. “Is such a simple picture of an oak leaf too advanced for your little human mind to comprehend?”
I knew the question was rhetorical, and thus, pursed my lips in thought, trying to find the words to explain all that transpired earlier. Finally, I shut the book and turned to him, my head still lowered shamefully as I was expecting some sort of heinous punishment to follow afterwards.
“You had a visitor today….” My voice was soft and meek, remaining submissive to his powerful aura. “While I was out hunting, a man came with the intent to take me away and find and kill a Dragon of sorts for its many crimes. I did not lead him to the cave, but he had treaded dangerously close. I'm unsure if he is aware of the hidden entrance, yet.” I looked at him nervously.
“Banin,” Master Dagg promptly growled in annoyance, as if recalling some past memories of his own. “I know all about him. He and his band of idiots intend to kill me for a crime I am not responsible for. I am an arcanist — ”
“ — You are a necromancer,” I suddenly corrected. My eyes looked up to him, coming to some realizations of my own. The next thing I saw was his hand coming towards my face and the feeling of sharp pains in my cheek.
“Do not correct me again, you foolish girl,” he growled warningly, “or I will sever that tongue of yours.”
I shivered and rubbed my red, stinging cheek. Looking to the floor, I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. “F — Forgive me, Master Dagg,” I said apologetically. “I did not mean it as an insult. It's just that you work with the dead on a daily basis. You are a master of the art of death.”
“‘Necromancy’ is a term coined by those who do not understand nor appreciate the true beauty of the Art,” he explained. “You would do well to remember that, Jasmine; else, I will find other, more creative ways of reminding you.”
I cringed. “That … That will not be necessary.”
His demeanor suddenly changed to a more calm state as he pulled away from me to resume unpacking the other supply bag. “Good, because I would hate to have to destroy a perfectly-good test subject due to insolence. It has been over three months since I rescued you from your impending doom.” He paused and shot me a brief, warning gaze. “Do not make me regret my decision.”
I nodded slowly, not looking up from the floor. Master Dagg made me into the person I was and thus, had the power to also break me whenever he wished. I was sealed in this debt, not knowing for how long I would remain bound to him. My mind continuously went over the earlier meeting with Banin and I slowly lifted my eyes towards Master Dagg.
“May I ask you something?” I asked in a meek voice.
He casually pulled out a covered jar from the bag and met my gaze. “Yes?”
I swallowed, trying to piece together the right words to say. “How do you … justify your residence here and the death-inducing blight?”
Master Dagg simply smiled his set of sharp fangs at me, which made him appear more frightening than comforting. “Is that what he told you? That I am some evil creature who is responsible for this blight? Is that what your feeble little mind has been manipulated to believe?”
My eyes gazed suspiciously at him. “It's what I know about you.”
“You know nothing about me except what little you've seen and have been told,” he scoffed.
I fell silent. Perhaps he might have been lying to me all this time, but I had my doubts. I could sense that deep feeling of passion in his eyes whenever he was drawn into his work. His love for the Necromantic Arts was without question.
“Tell me this, then,” I finally said. “Are you really a Dragon?”
The smile remained plastered on his face and his eyes regarded me with mild amusement. “Do you think I am?”
“Banin spoke of a black Dragon that resides in the swamps. I don't want to ‘think’ you are that Dragon or not. I want to know the facts.”
“Do you, now? Interesting, you certainly did not feel this way moments ago when you were so quick to believe what you wanted and take it as fact.”
I sighed in exasperation of his sharp mind — and an even sharper tongue — and finally threw my hands up in frustration. “All right, I'm sorry for misconstruing you, Master Dagg. I wish to know the truth about you. I wish to know why Banin is hunting a Dragon. I wish to know the source of this blight.”
“More questions,” he laughed and simply turned to place the covered jar on a shelf with several others. “Banin is a vile man bent on ignorance. His hatred for me spurs from mere assumptions and misunderstandings. He's become more of a thorn in my side than anything else. Like most slayers, he believes the Dragons are the bane of existence and the cause of the world's sufferings. He would love nothing more than to be rid of our kind once and for all. While I'm not a religious man, even I know that it is against the Goddess Celestra's will to harm our race in any manner. I practice the … ‘Forbidden Arts’ — as ignorant humans tend to more elegantly associate ‘Necromancy’ — for my own knowledge and understanding. I have no intentions or desires to abuse what I consider a ‘hauntingly beautiful’ art.”