"Alright pal," the man muttered quietly, pressing close, the tip of a grimy knife barely visible. "Wallet, bag, anything shiny. Quick and quiet, nobody gets hurt."
Jorden didn't break stride, didn't even flinch, just kept walking as if the man hadn't spoken. Annoyed, the mugger grabbed Jorden's arm, his grip surprisingly strong. "Hey! Didn't you hear me? I ain't messing around!" he growled.
Jorden stopped then. He slowly looked down at the hand gripping his arm, then up, meeting the mugger's eyes with a calm, almost detached gaze. "You should let go of my arm," he said, his voice even.
"Or what? You gonna cry about—" The mugger didn't get to finish.
In a blur of motion too fast to properly track, Jorden twisted out of the grip, grabbed the man's head with both hands, and brought it down hard against his upraised knee. There was a sickening crack followed by a dull thud as the man collapsed onto the pavement, unconscious before he even registered the attack.
Jorden calmly stepped over the crumpled form, brushing a speck of dust from his sleeve. He scanned the busy street, spotted an available taxi, and raised his hand, leaving the would-be robber motionless on the grimy sidewalk. Business as usual in Star's Bridge, apparently. He got into the cab, the door slamming shut behind him.
Chain
Chain and Bianca arrived at the battlefield, parking their bikes amidst a gruesome scene of dragon carnage – severed heads, torn wings, blood everywhere. Strange black flames flickered across the devastation.
"What a mess," Chain muttered.
"Black flames?" Bianca noted, cautious.
"Bad dragon breath, looks like," Chain quipped, analyzing the unnatural fire.
A raw scream echoed nearby. "MY HEAD! IT HURTS!"
They rushed towards the sound, finding Eisen – Hunter Corps First Class, arguably their strongest dragon slayer – writhing near his signature black axe, seemingly engulfed in the black flames. "Eisen?" Chain recognized the imposing figure instantly. As Chain reached him, the flames brushed his glove, sending a jolt of psychic agony through him. "Shit! Bianca, water – now!"
Bianca quickly doused Eisen. The black flames vanished. Eisen, breathing heavily, looked exhausted but, strangely, physically unharmed. "Was that... fire?" Bianca murmured.
Eisen saw Chain and grabbed his coat desperately. "COMMANDER! You have to kill him! NOW!"
"Easy, Eisen. Who? Where?" Chain asked, surprised to see the top-tier hunter so undone.
Eisen pointed weakly towards the battlefield's edge.
"Alright. Take a rest," Chain told him as other Hunter troops arrived.
"Commander," one reported, "Most dragons here killed each other. We didn't engage what Captain Eisen fought."
Chain frowned. Eisen, First Class, beaten like this? "Get him evacuated," he ordered the troops. "Head back, rest up. Join us at Star's Bridge when you're fit." To Bianca, he said, "Sweep the woods, finish any stragglers. I'll check something out."
"Meet at the bikes," she confirmed, moving out.
Chain followed Eisen's direction and found the source – a large black dragon with blue-tipped scales and multiple horns, heavily wounded but alive.
"Impressive," Chain said, approaching cautiously. "Takes some beast to overwhelm Eisen, our best dragon specialist."
The dragon opened weary eyes. "Strongest... human..." it rasped. It tried to lift its head, malice glinting. "Drown... in madness..."
Chain pinned its head down with his boot. "Save it. Talking tough for someone barely alive after tangling with a First Class Hunter? You seem young for an ancient."
The dragon just growled.
"You kill your own kind too?" Chain asked, gesturing at the carnage.
"i despise all..." the creature hissed. "My flames... madness for all that are alive"
"So," Chain concluded, understanding dawning. "Special madness-inducing fire. And you actually survived fighting Eisen Insania. Interesting.
"Interesting," Chain repeated, studying the fallen dragon. He crouched closer, sword dragging in the dirt. "Got a name, lizard?"
The black dragon's nostrils flared, bloody spittle spraying as he growled. "Baulduvor... the Madness Bringer." His massive head shifted slightly, those ancient eyes fixing on Chain with contempt. "Kill me... or leave, human. Your choice means... nothing."
Chain snorted. "Tough talk for someone bleeding out." He circled the dragon, assessing. "Madness Bringer, huh? That black flame shit nearly broke Eisen's mind. Could be useful."
Baulduvor's tail twitched weakly, scales scraping against rock. "I serve... NO ONE."
"Yeah? How's that working out for you?" Chain kicked a rock at the dragon's wound, making him hiss. "Your own kind turned on you. Humans hunting you. You're fucked either way."
The dragon's chest heaved, each breath labored. "Rather die... than serve."
Chain crouched beside the massive head, close enough to feel the heat radiating off those scales. "Listen, Dragon. I'm not offering servitude. I'm offering survival." He pressed his sword tip against the soft spot under the dragon's jaw. "Option one: die here, alone, forgotten. Option two..."
Chain paused, an idea forming—reckless, insane, but potentially game-changing. The other hunters would shit themselves if he pulled this off.
"Option two?" Baulduvor rumbled, curiosity briefly overcoming his hatred.
"Soul bond." Chain's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "My power, your survival. We hunt together."
The dragon's laugh was a wet, guttural sound. "Fool... you know nothing of... dragon bonds. Your mind... too weak." His massive eye narrowed. "My madness would... consume you."
Chain grinned, that cocky half-smile Bianca always warned him about. "Try me, lizard. I've got plenty of madness already, so what do you chose?"