Part 1

In the "Full Cup"

Koji leans back and throws a short look to the door as whisper raises around him. He watches a slender, dark haired young man coming in. The lad is dressed into a light leather armament. That is nothing special but the big bronze plaque on his breast expels him as one of these splendid, highly praised, completely superfluous Dragonriders. Koji snorts short.
The riders chased the gangs very successful for about 2 weeks. They are extremely bad for business. It is rare to see one of these men in the city. They usually remain between themselves and take care of their animals.
Koji flings a more precise look to the young man. Not bad at all...
A fine carved face, sun tanned skin, a smooth body. Not built very muscularly but quite well and no gram fat on it. His eyes are the most interesting part. They sparkle like dark amber, which is flood by sunlight.
Koji admires them fascinated. The newcomer hesitates briefly until his eyes become accustomed to the twilight in the tavern. Then he walks determined to the bar. He ignores the looks of the other visitors. "A beer." Koji turns to his wine jug again, however, he listens with an ear in the direction of the bar.
The landlord shifts a filled jug over the counter. He would gladly have dumped it into the boys face according to his looks. The "Full Cup" exists well from the gangs; many came here to spend their booty on drinks and to amuse themselves with the girls. The highwaymen are now either in prison or hide themselves carefully.
Others are not as reserved as the barkeeper.

"Hey you!" A rough hand grabs his shoulder. Takuto wipes it off and turns slowly around. He had hardly sipped from his beer. The chief of the four ugly, ragged figures before him is about one and a half head taller than himself.

Takuto sighs softly.

It is the same in every city. They are called to many missions especially if the local strengths can't cope with the problem. That means, that they are everywhere in the way of somebody. Either jealous guards or gone over counselors or generals who lost their face because of their incompetence.
Blast, there was already some annoyance with a mistress who saw her influence endangered with a count.
Not to forget the friends of the people they arrest. The riders usually remain under themselves, live together and care for their dragons. However, this evening the ceiling fell simply onto his head.
He wanted to see the city directly that he only knows up to now from over-flying.

How did he get the idea to visit a tavern directly at the port in this rotten quarter of the city?
Takuto is torn from his considerations coarsely. The leader of this bad smelling group plants himself in front of him and wraps him in his stinking breath.
"Shouldn't you drink milk? Selling beer to children would be able to damage the reputation of this tavern." The others bray with laugher.
"A tavern with you as guests doesn't need to take care of it's reputation anymore." The answer causes the 4 men to think seriously for some seconds. True brain boxes. As the big one finally understands the sense, he gets even closer and growls: "How comes that a child guides a monster? It is said that only genuine men are selected. A meager herring like you is not even suitable as Dragon food. Certainly you only lent the armament for yourself, confess it." Takuto grins briefly. He thinks of Tetsu`ko, his dragon.  
The remark with the food would have brought him certainly to turn up the nose in a disgusted manner. This dragon is a genuine gourmand. He eats only fresh cattle; every other food is refused. He does not even like the most people's odor.
"The size of his body doesn't make a man. A dragon makes mincemeat of the strongest man if it suits him. Only someone with a strong will is suitable as rider. But I do not need to explain the difference to you, you surely do not understand it."
Koji sucks his breath in. The boy obviously looks for quarrel, cold light lights up in his eyes. With the brawlers in front of him, this could go wrong in a bad way.
The big one immediately slams. The boy does not even get out of the way, he blocks the stroke with his forearm and hits the chief accurate in the solar plexus. (Area directly below the breastbone. Who is hit there sees stars and stripes.) The big one slumps, he will grab at air for some time. The second one obtains a kick in the stomach and takes a little time-out. The third attacks with a chair. Takuto glides aside and kicks the legs away under him. The man hits with his chin precisely the bar. He won't make trouble for once.
The fourth tries it with a bottle. Takuto evades the stroke and grabs the hand of his opponent - hard. He over twists the wrist so that the man has to drop the bottle. After this he turns the face to him and hits the others nose base with his forehead. All his opponent can do now is sink down onto the ground. Takuto lets him glide down, as he suddenly hears somebody falling behind him.
He spins around.
The big one wanted to attack him from behind with a knife and would also have caught him ....
A heavy jug hit the man at the head and sent him to the ground. Takuto looks up, over the fallen brawlers. He looks into the eyes of a tall, muscular, very fair man who has a broad grin on his face.
"If you wouldn't wear armament, you could be a first-class brawler. However, pay more attention to your back, otherwise your career ends very fast."
Takuto swallows a snappy remark. The foreigner has just saved his skin and he knows that. "Thanks."
For today, he's lost the desire for city explorations. Takuto flings some coins onto the counter and turns to leave.
The blonde keeps him back.
"You owe me a jug of wine. How does it look?" Never before had a foreigner requested Takuto to talk with him, not to mention drink.
He is astounded. "Well, that is right. Now?"
"Do you want to write a borrower's note? Come on, sit down and fetch something to drink first."