12-23-2018
Prompt: Link
Soft Touch peeked over the ridge again before quickly dropping out of sight, much to Dawn's amusement. She had a slightly panicked look on her face and her wings were just a beat or two from taking her into an outright flight, but what had Dawn so close to laughing was the simple fact that Soft was currently sporting a very large sun hat that absolutely did NOT fit with the otherwise adventurous theme of her getup.
"That thing is god-damn HUGE, Dawn," she hissed as she scuttled down further from the ridge. "God-damn HUGE. How the flaming hells are we supposed to do ANYTHING against something like that?!?"
Dawn, for his own part, schooled his face to be as close to serious as he could at the moment. "Easy, Soft, we just sit back here and stay out of its way."
Soft, incredulous, turned to glance back at the ridge behind her, the hairs on the back of her neck and shoulders clearly standing on end as she watched pensively.
"I don't think we can do this one, Dawn. It's just too big. Hells, it's bigger than the city we stayed at last week... you know, the one with those little baked things you liked?"
"Tarts. Yheah, those were pretty good."
"Dawn! Focus here! That ~THING~ is MASSIVE. It's bigger'n the city and it's taller than that tower that had all those little bitey guys in it and it's really, REALLY angry."
"Goblins."
"What?"
"The little bitey guys are called goblins. You should really know this kind of stuff by now."
Soft spun around, her wings spreading slightly in an unconscious display of dominance. "Seriously? Now? You're going to lecture me on tiny little ~goblins~ right FEKKING NOW? We've got a MONSTER over there, a true, honest to goddess MONSTER that could scoop us up and swallow us whole with a clawfull of the rock we're standing on and NOT EVEN NOTICE IT, and you're yelling at me about GOBLINS?!?"
Dawn smiled thinly before reaching out and lightly tapping Soft on the nose, illiciting a snort and a mild glare in return. "Yheah, I kinda am, Soft. It's important to know what to call the things we get hired to clear out. And besides, what's the point of freaking out over something if you know you're not going to need to actually fight it?"
Soft continued her glare but glanced back at the ridge again before tucking her wings in and waving a hoof to explain.
Dawn nodded and gestured between the two of them. "See, the way ~I~ see it, we're being paid to 'distract' the dragon, not kill it. We're being paid to check out the situation and help to give them the chance to take it out. We're being paid to look over a hill and run our butts off if it looks at us. And, one more, very important thing that I think you forgot after seeing that thing, Soft."
Soft's impatient glare spoke volumes, but Dawn waited until she rolled her eyes and asked, "What did I forget, Dawn?"
Dawn grinned as he hefted a small leather sack and tossed it a few times so the clink of coins could be softly heard. "I think you forgot that they paid in advance."
Soft blinked a few times, her mind grinding to a halt before forcefully restarting with a visible shudder.
Shaking her head quickly, she looked back one last time to the ridge before flicking her tail at it in irritation and storming past Dawn.
"Well in that case, Fuck this, I'm getting a drink. And stop looking at me like that. The hat's functional, damnit!"
"Whatever you say, Soft. Whatever you say."
"Ass."
And with that, the two snuck away from the miles long dragon that was flaring wings large enough to blot out the sun. There was an army down there, waiting on recon that they had paid for in advance... but it was an army... so they should be fine.... right?
