Drake and the man at the counter made eye contact. The fear in the other man's eyes shone brightly. Drake just smiled, which made the man pale further when Drake began to casually stroll toward him, the smile not leaving his face.
Ivan was standing next to a long table, and he was talking to a large group of men. When he saw Drake walk toward the man at the counter, he excused himself from his group and rushed to intercept the young heir. He didn't want any trouble. Especially at a time when they all should be working together to prepare to defend the town.
Out of the corner of his eye, seeing the mayor approaching, Drake held one hand up to stop him. His eyes didn't stray from his target.
Stopping in front of the man, Drake's smile grew. "I believe you owe me something," Drake declared.
The man gulped.
"After all," Drake continued. "We did bring back Nelly, alive and well. Didn't you say she was already dead?"
All eyes turned to the confrontation. Some had witnessed their discussion from before. Many were merely curious about what would take place, and others were expectant of a show of power from the young Dimension Master.
The large room grew silent as everyone listened to the conversation between Drake and the man and watched, waiting for what would happen next.
Drake's eyes started to glow a soft green. I light shining through the emerald of his eyes. "You're Gavin," Drake smiled. "Let me tell you something about me, Gavin. I have a way of knowing things. You can call them instincts if you want. I knew before we left this morning, without a doubt, that I would find Nelly alive. I was right, of course. It was my instincts, if you will, that told me your name. I won't profess to know everything, but if I say something is true without a doubt, then it's true. With other things, I can throw hunches and possibilities, but if I don't know it for a fact, I will tell you that I don't know it for a fact." Drake's eyes grew brighter.
His friends were beside him, doing their best not to show a reaction. Both boys were holding back gasps of shock. This was the first time Drake's eyes had ever glowed.
Gavin gulped. There were very few, even in Draco, who knew his real name. They called him by a nickname. They called him Billy. By using his real name, Drake was making a point that he knew things that others didn't.
"Now, Gavin," Drake continued. "We had a deal. I won't collect just yet. Just remember that you owe me."
Gavin nodded, finding it hard to respond. He couldn't get his mouth to cooperate.
"You need to voice it, Gavin. I need to hear you say it."
"Y…Yes, I made a deal. I owe you s…something of y…your choosing," Gavin choked out. Gavin remembered clearly what Drake had said prior to them leaving for the monsters' lair.
Drake's grin widened as a soft voice floated through his head.
{A Deal has been confirmed by Gavin. Do you accept?}
{yes or no}
Drake mentally chose yes.
{You have confirmed your deal with Gavin}
{New Quest detected: Collect debt from Gavin during a time of need}
Drake knew that he couldn't collect just anything. Because of the quest, he had to wait until he had no choice but to ask something of the man.
After both Gavin's and Drake's deal was confirmed, the glow of Drake's eyes began to fade. He turned to Ivan. We're ready to help this town prepare for battle.
Mayor Ivan nodded, then led the boys to the long table. It was filled with burly men, all with weapons strapped to them. They held things like knives, swords, daggers, battle axes, and other various implements of war.
Drake and his friends, Mike and Chad, kept quiet, letting the mayor speak to his men. The men present would then pass the information to the rest of the small army.
Ivan cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "We need to prepare for war." He stated firmly. "I have discovered that the information we have regarding the monsters may be false. The young Dimension Master and his cohort witnessed many things during their rescue mission that contradict the information that has been handed down to us over the decades."
All the men's eyes turned to Drake. It was as if they were expecting him to give a report of the contradictions. Drake figured it was to confirm what Ivan was saying.
Drake sighed, then nodded. "There was evidence that the fact they turn to stone is a ruse to make you complacent. There was also evidence that the aversion to wood and stone was also false. You can consider everything you know might be a lie. I'm not saying it is. I don't truly know. All I know is that there was evidence that it might be false. The only thing that was confirmed was that they eat flesh."
One man gulped. "Can I ask how that was confirmed?"
Drake folded his arms before speaking. His voice was hard as he remembered the structure that he found Nelly in. "When I found her, Nelly and a man were each in small cages. The room they were in resembled a slaughterhouse. There was a large butcher block in the center with huge knives designed to cut through blood and flesh everywhere. The entire structure was painted in blood. Both old and new blood. Nelly and the man were waiting in that room to be butchered like cattle."
Another man spoke up. "What happened to the other man? You only came back with Nelly."
With his arms still folded, Drake looked at the man who spoke. "After I freed him, the man attempted to take my life, so I killed him. He gave me no choice."
Quiet gasps were heard throughout the room. Gavin gulped. He was still afraid of what Drake would ask for when he came to collect his debt. Knowing that the young man killed someone made his fear grow.
Mayor Ivan continued. "Knowing the discrepancies in the information we have, there is a large possibility that the monsters will attack Draco Town in retaliation for rescuing Nelly. We have to prepare for if they attack us during the day."
Drake cut in to explain. "The monsters know that you believe them to be stone during the day. Since they know you wouldn't normally expect it, we believe that during the day is when they will attack."
"How do you know they don't turn to stone?" one man shot out.
Drake smiled. "How do you know they do?" he countered. "You believe them to have an aversion to wood and stone. We found Nelly in a wooden structure nestled in the trees. It appeared to be an entire village. Their tools were made of wood and stone. I even picked up an axe. The head of the axe was made from a carved stone. As for the belief that they turn to stone during the day, there was no evidence to show either. We saw no monster, nor statues of monsters. We have to prepare just in case. The best thing we can do is assume everything known about them is false until proven otherwise. It's safer that way."
"Basically," Mike stated, annoyed by the men's argument. "If you wait to be prepared for an attack at night and they come during the day when you would not expect it, you're all sitting ducks. If I were all of you, I would listen to what Drake says. It could save your life."
Chad was beside Mike, nodding in agreement. "Something about the monsters' lair was off. Nothing added up. I would rather be prepared for anything than not be prepared at all."
Drake scanned the small group, then turned to Ivan. "We'll be at the inn. You can come find us if you need us. We won't stay here and argue. My friends and I will do our own preparations."
Ivan nodded, then watched Drake and his friends walk out of the tavern.
Once outside, Chad turned to Drake. "What kind of preparations do we need to do?"
"I need to practice using my skills. I have one that I haven't used yet. It's level one whirlwind. I want to see what it does. I think I want to see if I can combine some of my skills. It might make them stronger. I also have that whip. I didn't show you, but there was a bow in my cuff. It matched my robes, so I know it was meant for me. I need to learn how to shoot it. You two have your weapons to train with, too. We need to practice and figure out a way to work together that will give us the best chance of survival." Drake looked between his friends. "If these gargoyles are as strong as I think they are, I don't want to lose my friends. Stay alive, okay?"
Both boys nodded solemnly as they continued to the inn.