Dragons Descended Upon the Wicked by Kenneth Champion

to push everyone to their limits to prove to everyone what they were capable of. If they could walk with a fast pace and handle obstacles in the road with ease in the beginning, then the rest of the trek would become easier. There was not much time for talking as there was not much resting going on. It was a few thousand hard working individuals. Whether they were young or old, it did not matter.
    Nick, Ron, and Jeffrey’s dragons were nowhere to be found. The men were confident that the dragons would know where to find them when the time was right. They had minds of their own. They needed the freedom to fly and capture their food. The three men were not worried about their dragons in the slightest.
    On the fourth day, breaks and rests became more common. Nick had a staggering amount of burning questions he wanted to ask his comrades. He had done so much with them in such of a short amount of time, yet he still did not know too much of who they were as people. Nick always had a longing for learning who and what a person he associated himself with was. As the camp took their third rest of the day Nick took the opportunity of approaching Ron, Tyler, and Dani as they sat under a busday tree. Busday trees resembled palm trees, only the branches looked like shrub bushes.
    “Fine day,” said Nick as he approached his comrades under the tree. “It’s not too cold and it’s just right for the amount of work we’re putting in.”
    “Oh, no...here comes the small talk. He wants something,” said Tyler.
    The four of them laughed at the comment.
    “No, I’m not looking for anything...well, I kind of am,” said Nick. “I just want to know who you all are. Tell me about your families. Tell me how you grew up, or where you grew up. Tell me anything. I only want to understand you all.”
    “Here, Nick, I’ll tell you what we can do,” said Tyler. “We will all take turns telling you about ourselves in under one minute. It’s the way of the king’s men. If you can’t keep up, then you get out.”
    “That’s fine,” said Nick. “Who will go first?”
    “My name is Ronald Belcraft The Third; you can call me Ron. I am the product of a cheating husband and a whore of a mother. I was left on the side of the road in the Kelton Market in Genold City when I was a year old. I was brought up by a lovely couple. I was with them until I was ten when they met their untimely death at the hands of a bunch of thugs. Two years later I learned I was good with magic and sword play when I ran into those same thugs. I became a Refect and protected my city from people who wanted to make it rot. I was good at what I did. I got noticed and the king’s men interviewed me. Jeffrey saw something in me and here I stand now. No wife, no kids.”
    Nick nodded his head at Ron and was pleased at his story.
    “My name is Dani Mastroguiseppe. But you can call me Dani. I was born to a loving family in Bounch Hill. They did everything they could to raise me with loving hands. They wanted one thing from me and I wanted another. I was obsessed with the bow and arrow. I looked at it like an art form and I had always enjoyed art. They wanted me to put down my instrument and I refused. The result was me making my way to Genold City and becoming a Refect. From there I was recruited by the king’s men because, as they said, I never miss a shot. I have had lovers in my life but I never married; it wasn’t for me. I never had kids either; it just wasn’t for me. But at the end of the day, I’m happy with where life took me.”
    Nick nodded his head at Dani as well.
    “Fine. Here we go. My name is Tyler Descont and I hail from lovely Vincot. You can call me Tyler. I was raised in a family of five. I was the youngest and had two older brothers. I lived my life in their shadows but that was okay with me. I moved to Genold City in search of work after the trade market plummeted in Vincot twenty or so years ago. I found a job working for a loan officer. All I