"Do not worry for me." Maric called back. "There should be little trouble there. What harm can a monk do to one after all?"<br/>Casting one last glance back at the woman that had claimed his heart, Maric set out towards the church.<br/><br/>"What is going on here?!" The paladin shouted as he burst through the doors.<br/>"There's a dragon flying about!" replied a panicking monk.<br/>"It is no danger to us!" Maric said angrily. "Stop that bell now!"<br/>"But..."<br/>"By the power of the paladin guild, I order you to stop those bells!"<br/>The monk stopped speaking, stunned that the man dressed in a simple tunic could be a paladin. Upon seeing the emblem on Maric's sword hilt however, he turned heel and ran for the stairs.<br/>That taken care of, Maric moved on to finding the priest so he could get him to calm the townsfolk. It wasn't a hard task, as the man approached Maric almost as soon as the bells stopped ringing. And it was obvious that he was infuriated.<br/>"How dare you order us to stop the warning bells!" The man spat. "The beast that you were to destroy is flying at our doorsteps! Why have you not killed it? By now one of you should be dead! It's your sacred duty to protect the people!"<br/>"Now..."<br/>"We've already sent a letter to your guild. Hopefully they'll send someone that is actually compite..."<br/>The priest was unable to finish his sentence because of the rough hands grabbing him by the collar of his coat.<br/>"You send them another letter NOW, telling them that they need not worry about it any more. In fact, no one has ever had a reason to worry. That 'beast' is as harmless as a cat. I've seen it, and even ridden with it! You have lied to me about it's supposed crimes, for it has done nothing to harm anyone."<br/>Maric released the priest, the man's eyes full of panic at being handled so roughly.<br/>"Now arrange for the townspeople to gather in the square this evening, and let them know that there is no danger. You will tell the guards to stand down as well, and to NEVER harm that dragon. And to make sure you do so, I will be there to observe you as well as to calm the crowds that you've riled up."<br/>The priest of course was now fuming with indignation at his reproach, but he dared not oppose the paladin. And so, he simply turned away to do as he was told, his shoulders hunched in anger.