"Hey, Ewan, it's been a while!"
These words had been pronounced with such a casualness that Ewan thought he had imagined them.
However, the tall blond guy in front of him, all smiles, tended to prove that he had heard correctly.
And damn it, he hated that stupid smile.
"Carciem," Ewan simply replied.
The man named Carciem Balgoranth then walked towards the young hunter, and still smiling so much that his jaw could drop, struck Ewan's back twice with the palm of his hand.
"If I expected you to show up in Ylesse at such a late hour!" Carciem exclaimed. "You weren't kidding when you said that only a catastrophe could force you to cross my path again!"
Ewan winced inwardly.
He and Carciem had been in the same class of arms, during their military training. And this guy had always reeked of trouble from several kilometers away.
Worse, he had always dragged Ewan into his schemes in spite of himself, making the both of them being punished whenever one of his plans fell through.
And now this guy was Quartermaster General, running the military barracks of one of the most important cities on the continent?
He gritted his teeth.
But Carciem didn't seem to notice Ewan's discomfort. Or perhaps he preferred to ignore it; for he invited his former arms classmate to sit at the table in the middle of the room.
The young hunter sat down, closely followed by the military officer, and couldn't help but notice the large sword leaning against the edge of the table beside Carciem.
"Ah, I see that nothing can be hidden from your sharp eyes," Carciem exclaimed mischievously. "You haven't lost your ability to appraise any weapon that crosses your path..."
Ewan couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Being found out so easily, he didn't like it. But he had to admit that the sword in question did not leave his thoughts.
Was this weapon...?
"Well, my goodness, you can take it in your hand if you want," Carciem said, handing him the weapon over the table. "It's not like it should stay in a museum, although some would say it's its rightful place."
The young hunter found himself with an ancient but finely decorated sword in his hands, and whose scabbard was covered with gold and precious stones.
However, it was not this excess of wealth that had attracted his attention, but rather the coat of arms painted on the sword's handle.
"It's Sarmawyn, isn't it?" Ewan finally asked.
In response, Carciem clapped his hands together loudly.
"My word! But you've gotten even better since the last time I saw you!" exclaimed the military officer with delight.
"Gotten better..." Repeated Ewan, somewhat unsettled. "Anyone who has done their military service knows about Sarmawyn..."
"But few people have seen it with their own eyes, or held it in their hands," Carciem smiled. "Yet you managed to recognize it at first glance."
Ewan shrugged, and took the sword out of its scabbard, to examine the otherwise perfect blade.
"Let's make a deal Ewan," said Carciem. "Tell me everything you know about this rank 500 threat, and I'll tell you how I got my hands on Sarmawyn!"
"No thanks," said Ewan, frowning. "I'll settle for telling you what I know."
"Hoho, aren't you curious? Even a little bit?" Carciem teased him, while miming a space between his thumb and index finger.
"Absolutely not," the young hunter replied curtly, while handing the sword now tucked away to its rightful owner.
Carciem sighed, then after retrieving the long sword, started the discussion again.
"Well, more seriously. I imagine that you must have directly run here to warn us, so I don't doubt for a moment of your sincerity concerning this threat." He said. "But I need you to tell me more than what you told the guard on duty."
Ewan stirred in his chair, making it creak a little, and then began his report.
He quickly explained what had happened: the discovery of Bohr destroyed, the creature and its physical characteristics, and even its size which had drastically increased overnight. The possibility of a creature that had crossed the barrier between worlds.
The young hunter also gave his opinion on the rank of this threat.
Monsters were classified not by their strength, but by the number of men needed to kill them. It was the most reliable unit of measurement that could exist, if nothing else.
And Ewan was convinced of this. Perhaps 500 men could take down the creature in its current state. But if this thing continued to grow, it would soon be necessary to call upon the entire army of the continent.
"A rank 500, huh?" Said Carciem, thoughtfully. "It's really a first-class piece of crap, if I'm to believe your words..."
"Conventional weapons have absolutely no effect on it," added Ewan, "And I didn't have any enchanted weapons on me. But the creature had a strong affinity for the fire element."
"I see... So opposite element enchantments could work...." Carciem thought aloud.
The Quartermaster General was now in intense thought, which surprised Ewan. He was not used to seeing his former classmate so serious, and dedicated to the task. This proved that over the years, they had both changed.
"But tell me, if it's a rank 500 creature, how did you manage to escape alive from there?" Carciem asked suspiciously.
On the other hand, he still had that same devious and sharp mind. Which made Ewan regret having let his guard down even for a moment.
"Someone came to my rescue, barely," he answered while remaining evasive about the identity of his rescuer.
He hoped that Carciem would not ask any further questions about it.
Otherwise, an expedition to subjugate a dragon would leave immediately from Ylesse, with a very specific target: Wynblow.
But to his relief, his former classmate didn't ask him more about his escape.
The blond man got up, excused himself to leave the room for a moment and called one of his subordinates stationed in the building.
Then a few minutes later, he reappeared, still with a serious expression on his face.
"I had a message sent by relay to the capital," he said. "I hope that after reading your report, they will send us some units as reinforcements."
It's true. The garrisons in the city had about 800 to 1,000 soldiers stationed. But that didn't mean they could send their entire strike force away from the city they were supposed to protect. Carciem was counting on reinforcements to send a large expedition to confront the creature in one fell swoop.
But if this beast continued to grow, even as they spoke...
"I don't suppose you know where to sleep tonight, do you?" Carciem asked, snapping Ewan out of his thoughts. "How about spending the night in our barracks?" He proposed. "It will remind you of the good old days!"
"I'm not alone," replied Ewan.
"I know, you have a kid with you, right?" Carciem deduced. "The guard posted at the entrance told me about it, when he announced your arrival."
Ewan nodded.
"Come on, follow me!" Carciem exclaimed, a big smile again displayed on his face.