Epidemic

Courier's Tales: Epidemic

You enter a glade and look into the broken line of trees beyond. The rapid transition of the type of wood takes you by pause. You hesitate your will weakening for a moment before you proceed. You hope you are making the right decision because you are about to head into a bog. A bog that houses a dragon. At one point as you hesitate again as you look at the sickly excuse for a tree that before you if this really is the best idea. After all the dragon you are going to meet boasts the reassuring name Epidemic. Somehow that fails to reassure you. Your feet seem glued to the ground as you try to gather your nerve again while your mind and heart races filling your every though with a thousand excuses of why it would be a good idea to turn around and go back the way you came. Yet your task is still unfinished and you would have to be seen as a coward. You sigh your breath being the only sound you hear in the otherwise silent area. You finally succeed in gathering your nerve at the exact same moment your wits leave you. You are not sure if that is a good trade.

You then proceed. The ground seems a big gummy and gives more then you are personally comfortable with with each step. You are suddenly reminded of every horror movie you have ever scene that involves quicksand, poisonous reptiles, and other equally dangerous reptiles of the man eating variety. With that in mind you manage to break off a pathetic branch about three fourths as long as you are tall and poke it at the ground in front of you. The stick sinks in no matter where you place it and you swallow before tossing the stick as far away as possible right before you realize it might be handy to smack an alligator with and a really bad way to **** of the resident dragon. You freeze like a mouse before a cat. Or like a deer in the headlights. You hope you fair better then either of those doomed creatures. As you force yourself to breath again you almost sink with relief as nothing remotely like an enraged dragon appears. In fact all you seem to have scared out is a six inch lizard who you are reasonably certain has no ability to harm you in any way shape or form. You have the sinking feeling that you just might have used up what remained of your luck as you carefully pick you way ahead. You would hum or sing to yourself except for the stupid superstition that doing so brings a single traveler bad luck. Why you suddenly put such faith into the exact thing you usually made fun of is a matter that you would deliberate at another time. Like when you are out of the bog and possibly while you are finishing off your second or third glass of beer at the nearest bar to this god forsaken place.

As you step deeper you suddenly get the feeling you are being watch and you can't help looking around as your shoulders hunch and your hesitant steps quickly turn to a slinking shuffle. In a break right before what remains as your nerve snaps you are suddenly facing what could only be a dragon. The beast yawns exposing eight inch fangs that look more then enough to do your damage. It takes all your will not to faint while the beast examines you and speaks "So do you have it?"

You swallow suddenly trying to figure out what Epidemic is talking about only to be slammed by the reason you are here in the first place. You were to deliver a package.... to the dragon. Your nerveless fingers move to the courier's bag hanging at your side and you manage to undo the buckles and open the flap to pull out a package wrapped in what appears to be butcher paper tied with a ribbon which feels oddly out of place. "Here it is.... Epidemic ma'am." You decide that following manors is most likely a really good idea.

The dragon reaches a huge claw out and you drop the package in the well defended gasp of the dragon. Who uses a single claw to slit the paper revealing a stack of scrolls. "Good they are all here." The dragon reaches out again handing you a small bag. "Your tip. Thank you for the fast delivery." And with that the dragon leaves scrolls in claw.

You open the package revealing two carefully labeled pouches of gold and what appears to be a flask of some liquid. A quick sniff reveals it to be a rather strong brandy. You suddenly feel a lot better about the dragon and take a swig for good measure and head you way out. You might not be as worried next job..... maybe.