Even though early morning light was just starting to break through the jungle canopy, the city was already alive. Of course, the Port of Narehl never slept. The more reputable citizens just graciously cleared the streets when Eridani was down. Even without the light from the local star, the city glowed. Casinos, all night amusement parks, seedy districts of town, and simple scenes from the night life were all illuminated by neon and street lamps. Some of the lights were mounted on buildings and poles, others seemed to be grown directly into the trees that were so pervasive in this place. The denizens of the night were heading to bed now, the sounds of nature slowly quieting down to leave little more than the lapping of water in the canals before the morning crowd finished waking. Small passenger freighters slipped Into this early morning transition bringing a fresh wave of tourists to the moon's vacation capital.

 

Xyn Thos awoke with the early dawn and made his way from from his temporary quarters in the slummy port motel. His gaze drifted over the tourists and citizens alike. The large jotun nodded and gave a decent attempt at a smile when some of the locals came close, but he didn’t begin a conversation. His heavy footsteps beat the boardwalk beneath him as he tried his best to weave his larger frame through the crowd. Despite his attempts, he still had to apologize to several passersby when his couldn’t help but budge them aside.

 

He was filled with excitement and apprehension. Today would be his first day commanding his own patrol along the waterways since he had joined the Riverguard. As he walked, memories filed his mind from his days leading up to his command, memories of brutal fights against all manner of beast and barbarian alike. Even when he was simply another grunt in Warhead Keep, he had dreamt about coming to the jungles of Narehl to make a difference. Now he had his chance.

 

He was stationed nearer the port than most, in the waters that were usually less dangerous than those deeper down the Path of All Souls. Patrols normally started further up the river, but his particular vessel had come to the popular tourist destination to pickup supplies to bring back to the watchtowers. It was supposed to be an easy run for a first time coxwain, just enough to get his feet wet as it were. Still, Xyn was proud of his duty to protect those who plied the waterways for business and pleasure. It was a duty he was honored to uphold.

 

Finally arriving at the dock, Xyn headed over to where his vessel was being prepped and stocked. The boat in question was a two deck riverboat designed to ride high in the water to avoid the tangles and dangers which lurked so near beneath the surface. With limited size for the canals, and the river out into the jungle, the lower deck was a bit of a cramped space for Xyn's larger frame. He hadn't quite worked his way up to earning a larger vessel for his patrols. The lower area of this boat was primarily for storage or food, medical supplies, and weapons.

 

"Morning, are we nearly ready to depart?" Xyn greeted his second with a friendly smile.

 

"Yes, Sir, only loading the last few pieces of equipment.” Geris Traist returned his CO’s smile with a bit of enthusiasm. “That cannon you ordered is ready as well. Thing looks like it could take out a ship"

 

Xyn nodded his approval, "Excellent, let's set out as soon as everything is loaded." He stepped up onto the vessel and made his way to the weapons locker below. The cannon was a new model from Warhead. The Riverguard’s connection with their “Big Brother” faction often meant that they got access to new armaments before other factions were allowed to buy them. Xyn flipped open the mounting bracket on his shoulder and removed his older model cannon. Pulling the new one from its case, he went through the process of connecting the cannon’s systems into his own. Once everything was attached and locked into place, he powered the thing up. A familiar tickle entered the back of his mind. It was almost as if the cannon had a spirit of its own that was feeling out Xyn’s own spirit. Some others might describe the sensation in more technical terms, but he had that typical soldier superstition going for him. He preferred to think that his gear actively wanted to keep him alive.

 

As Xyn was familiarizing himself with the new weapon, Geris called below deck. “Everything's loaded, and we're ready to head out.”As if to accent his words, the sound of the gangplank retracting sent a subtle thud through the boat, an almost ominous sound.

 

"Good to hear. Let's head out and keep these Rivers free of Pirate scum." Xyn held up a clenched fist with a slight bit of over eagerness for his first command. Despite knowing the truth about the dangers of the river, it was hard not to fall into the romanticized vision of being the big hero. One of the men was busy checking the 50 cal that was mounted on the bow. They had plenty of ammo, but just the one big gun. Another man stepped up to pilot the vessel, while the last continued to check different matters up on the deck. Geris stepped over to Xyn as he gave the order to head out. The boat engine roared to life. Geris and the three other guardsmen finished unlashing the boat from the dock, and carefully steered into the current to make their way upriver.

 

"Alright, what’s on the agenda today Geris? did command send anything interesting our way?” Xyn watched the trees as they went along. The silent watchers seemed to threaten the boat as much as the secrets hidden in the jungle. With so many trees right up to the water’s edge, anything could be hidden just out of sight. "Let those pirates show themselves today..." His words were quiet, meant only for himself, and were masked by the wind as the boat picked up speed.

 

“Aya sir. Sounds like we’re heading all the way up to the first tower today. I ain't been up there in weeks. It'll be nice to make berth at a proper soldier's ward tonight.” He grabbed a pile of paperwork and started flipping through charts. “There's been some reports of Pirate activity, the human kind, about a kilometer up the west bend past Dunesford. Another report here says that a family was killed by river pirates, the fish, somewhere near Terry. Apparently the fishing village has been having issues with large schools of pirates filling their nets instead of their normal catch.” Geris shuddered. “Darn swarms with teeth will eat anything that comes near them. Ruins a good day fishing when you find one.”

 

Xyn stepped over to port side and rested a heavy hand upon the railing. He was still looking at the trees. After a moment, his attention turned to Geris. "Killing innocent families? No school of fish is going to do that on my watch. Let's make for Terry see if we can’t move the vermin along." He thought about what supplies they had, and how they might scare off a school of fish. Explosives could work. with so many river pirates in the water it wasn’t likely there would be much collateral damage to other local wildlife. Those schools typically cleaned everything out as they went.

 

"When Terry is secure we can go look for the non-swimming pirates.” Whoever had named the fish hadn’t thought about how often other pirates would be in this area.

 

An hour on the river saw them nearing Terry. That hour also saw them as the local buffet for all manner of buzzing and biting insects. There were bloodsuckers for the two olympians on board, and shears for the wafans. The shears were more annoying, scraping off paint and bits of metal as they flew past. They were more of a nuisance than a threat, unless one found themselves unable to swat at the things. Xyn did his best to keep the bugs at bay. He tried to avoid damage to his frame and paint job, which needed an update to the proper colors anyway. When he wasn’t swatting away flying pests, Xyn spent most of the hour gazing at the surroundings. Anchoring clamps in his large feet allowed him to keep his balance as the boat rocked and swayed.

 

As they neared their destination the boat shifted slightly. Something moving underneath the water caused the boat to rock more than it normally would have. After a few seconds, the boat shifted again. As one side dipped low toward the surface, a sleek form came splashing out of the water. It’s scaled hide was muddy green like decayed plants, and the head sported golden eyes. The river dragon wasn't large, about the size of a man, but it was more than enough to take the gunner off the front of the boat and down into the water. The man barely had time to let out a startled scream before submerging. There were bubbles. Then there was blood, and the gunner’s limp body floated back to the surface. The boat rocked again as the dragon came back around. Apparently this one wasn't just hunting for food, it seemed to be territorial, trying to drive the boat away.

 

Xyn turned as the man screamed, just in time to see the gunner and dragon plunge back into the water. "We are under attack, brace yourselves and ready weapons." He pulled the gun from his hip and switched it to semi-auto. If he could get a good shot, he could slow the thing down. Xyn carefully neared the edge of the boat, his eyes scanning the water to try and catch any glimpse of the thing in the murky roil beneath the boat. He fired a few shots over the side, but they weren’t likely to hit anything beneath the surface. "Stay alert, don't let this bastard catch you!"

 

This dragon had apparently dealt with people before. It understood that they had weapons that hurt from a distance, and that water was its friend. Kicking up the bottom of the river, the beast created a cloud of mud and debris which quickly filled the water underneath the boat. Ripples of movement were just as often logs as the beast itself, and only a few stray shots managed to glance its hide. "Man that gun and keep blazing the bow, don't let it get too close!" Xyn shouted, his scanners losing sight of the dragon due to the mud and logs, "Damn smart bastard!" No simple fish indeed, the jotun thought and then looked sharply to the pilot, "Stop the boat. We'll be reclaiming our man.."

 

Geris drew his sword and headed for the mounted gun. A loud bloop echoed off the boat seconds before another splash and a form landing on the deck before Xyn. In the confusion and mud, it took him a second to realize the body belonged to the gunner. That second was long enough for the dragon to leap up on deck opposite Xyn. The beast charged the larger jotun, teeth and claws bearing down on the man with enough force to shear metal.

 

The dragon was too close for Xyn to fire. He dropped his gun and raised his hands. His feet clamped to the deck just in time to prevent him from being knocked overboard. The collision was forceful enough to rock the boat sideways, splashing water up over the side before the vessel righted itself. Xyn caught the dragon’s forelegs in his hands. The dragon lashed out with it’s teeth and hind claws. Its jaw clamped down over Xyn's left arm with enough force for the teeth to penetrate the casing and scratch the hydraulics underneath. It's rear claws flailed, scoring gashes along Xyn's abdomen and legs. The beast wrenched it's head sideways, trying to tear at Xyn's arm. In a desperate effort to stop the assault, Xyn brought his head to bear. Metal met flesh as cranium’s collided. The dragon’s jaws loosened momentarily, and it reared its head back to strike again. Geris and the two other men on the boat were approaching warily, swords out, trying to find an opening to strike the creature.

 

“Get yer jaws offa me you stupid reptile!” Xyn released the grip from his right hand and pulled the dragon into an uppercut. Again and again he struck at the creature, trying to release its grip on his arm. He unclamped his feet and tried to drive the thing off the edge of the boat.

 

The dragon had had enough. The first punch caught it off guard, but now it was nearly free. It's body twisted and wrapped around Xyn's left arm. Hind legs scratched at Xyn's shoulder, finding just enough purchase to brace against Xyn’s cannon. Bruised and bloody, with it's left eye struggling to stay open from the assault of Xyn's fist, the dragon pushed. Wrenching against the cannon, and Xyn's damaged left arm, it twisted it's right foreleg, scratched with its left, and continued to bite at the fingers until something started to loosen up. Strained hydraulics in Xyn’s arm began leaking fluid. Xyn’s grip loosened just enough for the dragon to wrench its foot free. Not willing to fight anymore, the dragon uncoiled and pushed, diving over the side and into the water. There were pieces of torn flesh still left in Xyn’s grip, but he was missing his fore and middle finger. The excitement of the moment had blunted the pain at first, but now his arm was on fire. If he hadn’t been worried about the creature returning, the pain might have taken him to the deck.

 

Geris stopped next to Xyn, his eyes scanning the surface past the boat. “I think you scared the thing off.”

 

Xyn’s eyes landed on the his dead crewman. "No, it won't get to live while a family plans a funeral." He retrieved his discarded gun and switched it to siege pistol mode. "Die you miserable fish!" He emptied the clip into the water, pushing out his anger with each round. Bullet after bullet hit the water, lancing through its surface and deep into the muck. Through the mud and debris, however, it was impossible to tell if he was aiming in the right direction. After a moment, there was a small column of red rising through the mud, accompanied by several bubbles. The red slowly dissipated though, and nothing more came to the surface. Was the beast dead, or was it simply licking its wounds? Even Xyn wouldn't be crazy enough to dive in the water to find out, not if we wanted to make it down the river alive.

 

Strain from the fight finally catching up to him, he turned once again to look at the body of his dead crew member. He sighed. He was supposed to be a hero, a big bad commander fighting pirates on the river. Heroes didn’t lose people. The vision finally died as he set course for the first tower.