[Seryanna's point of view]
Of all the stunts Kleo had pulled, making me wake up in Alkelios' bed was by far the worst! I don't deny the fact that it felt good to be embraced by him, but why couldn't he just keep his hands to himself? Touching my back scales and grabbing my bottom was crossing the line! A respectable gentleman dragon would never dare to behave in such an inappropriate manner, especially towards an unmarried maiden like myself!
Oh yes! He's not a respectable gentleman, he's a human… How could I forget that small detail? I asked myself while walking down the street.
Kleo was severely scolded for what she did, and grandfather made her promise never to use that spell on any of us again. She didn't comply the first or third time, but cutting off her budget for her trip to the capital convinced her otherwise.
As for Alkelios, even if he was innocent, he still dared to touch me like that, so I had to make sure to teach him a few things about draconic basic common sense in the following days. Our two species were far too different to be together in the way he wished for. Even if he came from another world, that was no excuse for what he did!
Dragons and humans could at most be friends, maybe difficult allies, but lovers was out of the question. I already had a hard time dealing with those of my kind because I had yet to Awaken, but if I brought a human mate into the mix, I could end up even being labeled as a traitor to my own species and kingdom. Maybe this was looking it at it in a bit of an extreme way, but it certainly wouldn't have been good for my master.
Being looked down upon by the other nobles for having a Unawakened Knight is hard enough, but if I were to have Alkelios as my lover, I could end up being forced to leave her side. Something like that… I can't let it happen to her, I can't abandon the Princess like this, not after all she did for me… I thought and let out a long sigh.
There was no need to debate about this, my loyalty towards the Princess was more important than my love life. Besides, humans were known to have a very short lifespan. If I remembered right, by the age of 40 they would all settle down and have children, then twenty or thirty years later, they would die. In other words, the time I had with Alkelios was only of a few decades, a mere moment for a dragon, and this was only if he stayed by my side and didn't get bored of me.
Stopping in my track, I looked up at the sky for a moment. Three dragons in their Awakened beast forms were either doing some practice flights or simply stretching out their wings. I also yearned for the moment when I could see the land from above and feel the gentle winds caressing my scales. The other day, when Kleo dive-bombed right on top of Alkelios, she was trying out some flight tricks. Because she didn't properly stretched her body before flying off into the sky, she ended up with a terrible muscle cramp while in midair.
The chances of her actually falling with pinpoint accuracy on Alkelios were incredibly low. She still had some control over her direction, so at best, she should have landed in some nearby trees or in the middle of the open road outside of the town.
I guess his Luck works in mysterious ways… Hm, did he by any chance wish for me and him to be together? I asked myself, but then I remembered his warm embrace as we laid there in his bed together.
Blushing strongly, I shook my head and slapped my cheeks.
No! Don't think about that! It was a one-time thing! It's NOT going to happen ever again! I WON'T let it happen again! I told myself and as soon as I calmed down, I took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
A few other dragons were throwing me a questionable look, but I ignored them. I was really glad no one was thinking of me as proper mate material, or that I may actually desire at one point to have a mate. Hearing the women snicker and scorn around me was the last thing I wanted.
Sometimes, I just wished I had the authority to beat them into a bloody pulp, but as long as I was the Princess' knight, I had to keep a hold on myself and not do anything stupid to bring harm to her reputation. Nonetheless, if these cowards ever tried anything against me or her, I was free to bust their heads open. Although, I had to wonder if by any chance being friends with Alkelios, a human, was in itself a risky situation for the Princess. In the end, if she ordered me to sever ties with him, I would do so no questions asked.
At the moment, I was making my way towards the dragon who had a connection to the bandit group from which I borrowed the [Purse] ring. He was a merchant of used armors and swords near the Two Spirits inn. Thanks to Alkelios' help, it was finally time for me to end this unpleasant chapter of my life.
The way this deal worked proved to be very smart and cunning of the bandits. I couldn't kill them, but I could stop or rough them up a bit if I caught them in the act. I also had to let them go with a 'warning' of never trying that again. From another point of view, there was nothing wrong with this deal. I wasn't breaking the law because either killing or arresting them was only up to my own judgment. The worst thing that could happen to me was getting the reputation of being a merciful or lenient knight.
Of course, this whole deal applied only and only to this peculiar group of bandits from which I borrowed the ring, and they were all a very troublesome bunch. The Twin Daggers was what they were called, and I heard rumors that their leader was stronger even than my grandfather, but I could only think about that as a joke.
Standing before the entrance to the second-hand item shop, I took a deep breath and then stepped inside.
"Welcome! Welcome! To Tellios' Shop of Wonders!" the brown-scaled draconian said the very moment he saw me.
He was taller than me by two palms and most of his face was covered in scales, and a pair of slit brown eyes were looking back at me. Although selling some rather dubious sets of armors, he was wearing a long red robe with silver embroidery, no weapons and no jewelry.
"I'm here about The Twin Daggers." I told him with a stern tone of voice.
"Oh? You are that knight, erm… Sir Seryanna?" he asked after he scratched the back of his head with a claw.
It was rather doubtful that someone living in this small town didn't know of me already.
"Yes."
"Follow me." he said calmly.
The merchant walked away from the counter and moved to the back of the store. There, he took out a key from his left pocket and opened an old wooden door. A pair of barely lit stairs led us to the basement, where a green-scaled dragon awaited us. He was taller than the merchant, with well formed muscles and scars to prove his strength. The tip of his tail was cut off, and his weapon of choice seemed to be his fists.
Despite his fearsome look, I could easily tell that he was far weaker than me in terms of strength and even he knew this.
"Step aside, the dragoness is here for business." ordered the merchant.
"Hmph!" he snorted and moved to the left.
I ignored his glare and entered the room.
There were two dragons there, both of them wearing long, black robes with hoods over their heads, covering their faces to keep me from identifying them. One was seated and the other was standing next to him. They were looking at some scrolls stacked on the table, but they put them away the moment they saw me.
"The knight? What can we do for you?" asked the seated one.
"I'm here to return this." I told them and then placed the ring on the table.
"What's this?" asked the man with a raised eyebrow.
"My business with your kind is now over. I have no need for this thing anymore." I told them firmly.
"I feel thirsty, be kind and go bring us something to drink. Some tea, maybe?" the seated man said and looked up at the one next to him.
The dragon left immediately, going to the room in the back. I squinted my eyes at him as he did so, assuming that maybe they weren't planning on letting me get out of this deal so easily. It mattered not. To me, all of them were weaklings who deserved to be cut down or thrown into jail for the crimes they had committed.
"Don't worry, he's only bringing us something to drink, not call for backup." said the one sitting at the table when he saw me reaching for the hilt of my sword.
"Let us hope so." I told him, squinting my eyes at him.
"Like I said, you have nothing to worry about. But tell me, are you certain we can't reach some sort of… compromise? Your services are rather invaluable, and we would appreciate it if we could continue this small 'trade' of ours."
"Fortunately, there is no need for our deal to persist any longer. My business with the ring is over, and I wish to have no further business with your group." I stated my mind clearly.
"I have to say though, I am rather surprised by this sudden turn of events. Didn't you require this ring for another half of year or so? They are quite rare and no one wished to sell you one last I remember?" he asked, trying to get a bit more info as to why I would suddenly need to cut off from this deal.
What he said was true. Although I told Alkelios that I didn't have the right amount of money to acquire a [Purse] ring, this was only half of the truth. For some reason, none of the merchants wanted to sell me one or if they did, they asked for absurd amounts three or four times higher than the market price. According to my information, there was no connection between them and The Twin Daggers, so I had to assume that they were moved by some political power.
As for why I wanted to end this deal with them, my reasoning was simple enough. I had obtained all the Bloody Mushrooms I needed thanks to Alkelios, and my grandfather's life would be out of any danger for now. Why would I continue to further deal with these scumbags when I had only to lose?
Of course, I didn't wish to let them hear my thoughts on the matter and simply refrained from answering his questions. It would take more than that to pull my tongue.
"I need not explain myself to you." I cut him off sharply.
"Unfortunate… truly unfortunate." he said shaking his head.
The other dragon returned with two porcelain cups of tea and placed one in front of me.
"Please, have some. It's our way of ending these sort of… 'deals'. A kind gesture from our behalf? The finest tea in the capital! Rossenrhode." the hooded man stated and then took a sip from his cup to show me that there was nothing wrong with the beverage.
Hm, I am a bit thirsty, and the aroma is pleasant, but I'm in the enemy's lair… I shouldn't… I thought, but the tea smelled very good, it overwhelmed my senses.
Before I could further debate how wise it would have been to drink it, my hand already reached for the cup.
Just a sip wouldn't hurt, right? I thought, but then something strange happened.
I, who proud myself with incredible dexterity and swordsmanship. I, who learned the art of sword fighting from my grandfather, a veteran general. I, who am a Knight serving the Third Princess of the Dragon Kingdom Albeyater… I didn't judge the distance right and accidentally bumped the cup, spilling the tea over the table.
My hand froze in that spot, and I looked surprised at what just happened. The chances of someone like me doing this were incredibly low, nearly impossible. Even drunk to the point where I could barely stand, I could still grab hold of a cup of tea… So how? How was it possible for me to spill the tea?
"T-This… d-do not worry, we'll bring you a new cup." said the dragon who was standing.
The other one was shocked by this incident as well, but I found it odd for that to be so.
Something's not right… I thought to myself and pulled my hand back.
"It appears I'm not feeling too well… Either way, I already gave you your ring back, so there's no further need for us to continue our deal. Next time I catch your men looting or stealing, they will be judged appropriately on the spot." I declared and then turned around to leave.
The brute at the door looked back at his boss first.
"Let her pass…" said the hooded man.
The dragon stepped aside, and I made my way out of the basement and out of the store.
Once outside, I took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. Looking back at my hand, I couldn't help but recount what happened back there and how strange that event was.
For me to do that… How? If it was poisoned then… Was this Alkelios' doing? I asked myself, but despite the seriousness of the situation, I just had to remember the way he touched the scales on my back and made me moan, or how his hands felt grabbing my bottom.
I blushed and clenched my fist.
"For this, I'll let you off…" I told myself and then walked away from there.
The human was probably still at the herbalist, asking about the various plants we discovered in the Seculiar Forest. Seeing how I already finished my business, I decided to head over there and meet up with him.
[The seated hooded dragon's point of view]
When I saw that smug Unawakened bump the cup and spilling the tea over the table, I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. My heart stopped in my chest, and my whole body went stiff. The greatest fear I could possibly have at that moment was the fact that somehow, someway, she managed to figure out that there was something wrong with the cup. Luckily, she didn't question us and left peacefully.
With a sigh of relief, I looked back at my partner and asked him "Was that the cup?"
"Yes, the enchanted one. I put there enough sleeping drugs to knock out an entire hoard of Wild Sheep, but to think she would spill it, how unfortunate…" he said shaking his head.
Indeed, it was unfortunate for us. If she had drunk that tea, she would have fallen unconscious and stayed like that for more than a day. We could have stolen her armor and weapon, sold them to a black market blacksmith and gotten a decent bag of gold for them. To make her keep her mouth shut, we would have branded her with the mark of our group and then had our fun with her. Because she was Unawakened, there was no need to worry about her laying an egg. The shame and humiliation resulted from this would have surely kept her mouth shut. We wouldn't have needed the stupid ring to make her keep her end of the bargain.
"She must have the luck of the gods…" said my partner as he began to clean up the mess she made.
"Or she's as unlucky as a devil… Send word to the boss, she will want to hear of this. We can't have a knight like her going around messing with our business. Her grandfather has no interest in us and as long as we stay out of the town, he won't send the guards after us, but she is another story." I ordered.
"Then you clean this up, and I'll go to the boss. She's at the south cave, right?" he asked.
"Yes. Go quickly." I told him as I grabbed the rag.
He ran past me and left.
[Alkelios' point of view]
Half an hour…
That was how long it took the draconian to analyze all the plants I gathered and estimate a relative price for them both here and in the capital. The moment I stepped in, he squinted his eyes at me and immediately asked who sent me here. When I mentioned Seryanna's name, he asked what sort of 'weeds' did I bring him from the forest, but once he caught sight of the rare plants I found, his jaw dropped all the way to the floor.
Seryanna's estimates about that strange first plant I found were a bit off. It didn't cost 20 gold, it was a whooping 35 here and almost 70 in the capital. It was an all-cure sort of plant that a lot of special medicine required it. He wanted to buy it from me, but I just couldn't let it go. I felt like I had to hold onto it for dear life. The others, however, not so much. I ended up selling about half of them and gaining about 47 gold, 38 silver, and 24 copper coins.
Honestly, there were quite a few coins in there, and I still had a bunch of herbs left in the bag, but they were all good for one thing or another as far as [Bartender] skill could tell me. I was curious about trying them, but there were also others which I felt a bit reluctant about letting go of. My first guess was that my Luck had something to do with them, but I couldn't really figure out what exactly this stat was bugging me about.
Letting out a sigh, I took a few steps away from the entrance of the shop and sat down next to the wall. I had no idea where Seryanna was, and I couldn't remember if I told her where we should meet after we were done with our individual business. Of course, I had no fears of thieves or anything like that since I had me trusty ol' bag o' luck with me. One wish turned me invisible in their eyes, but then again, I could probably defend myself with my current stat points.
Sigh… This isn't a video game. Now that I think about it, even if I am ridiculously strong when compared to the previous me, the fact that I have no idea how to use my current abilities means that I am quite pointless in battle. I'm like one of those first-level bosses you encounter in a game. Lots of health points, insane strength, but swings like an idiot and has no special skill. All you have to do to defeat him is run around him and poke him in the ribs with your trusty toothpick! Maybe I should ask Seryanna for some combat lessons? Yeah, I think I'll do just that! I thought looking up at the sky and acting a bit absentmindedly.
"How did the trade go, Alkelios?" asked the dragoness.
Blinking surprised, I looked to my left and saw her standing there.
"47 something gold coins. Are you done as well?" I asked her.
"Yes." she nodded and smiled back at me "With that money, we could get you some starting gear. Staying only in those clothes isn't good for adventuring." she told me.
"Oh? Really? That sounds exciting! What should I get first? A fire sword maybe? Or a diamond plated armor?" I asked jumping up with excitement.
The dragoness raised an eyebrow at me and then giggled.
"Nothing that ridiculous! Besides, you can't even properly use those things yet." she told me.
"Aw…" I made an exaggerated sad face and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Don't look at me like that… I'm serious, the diamond plated armor doesn't even exist." she quickly said, flicking my forehead.
"Ouch! At least the fire sword is real…" I grumbled while rubbing the struck spot.
"Yes, idiotic humans often use it thinking that it's a very powerful sword." she then patted the hilt of her blade. "Enchants are what makes the difference in a weapon. Some are powerful, some are weak, but use them wisely, and you can turn a copper sword into a ridiculous weapon." she explained.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"I told you before that I know someone who is a good blacksmith, right?"
"I think I vaguely remember that. You also told me you had a pet and that you would kiss me when we get to this town. But I saw none of those." I told her crossing my arms at my chest and shaking my head.
"I never said that last part. As for Tulip, she's currently hunting in the forest. She'll probably return in a day or two. You can meet her then… Hm, that gives me a good idea! Why don't we get you a pet as well?" she told me with a determined nod.
"What about feeding expenses?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you stronger than Kleo?" she asked me.
"In strength, yes. But I doubt I am in magic."
"Not many can beat that brat in magic, but if you are stronger than her, then we can go to Andromeda and register you with the Guild of Adventurers." she explained.
"That's a rather generic name, but something like that actually exists? Also, why can't we just register here?" I asked her pointing at the ground.
"Why would the Guild build a Hall here? It's not that big of a city, there's no dungeon around here, and most of the troublesome things are dealt with either by the guards or by my grandfather." she explained.
Honestly, I was surprised when I heard her say that. In my world, games usually dropped a Guild Hall everywhere they could as long as it wasn't a village. With Tomeron being an actual town, I thought there was surely going to be one here. To think they actually thought of building one only when there was sufficient activity and requests in the area to satisfy the eager adventurers.
"Makes sense…" I said.
"Then let's go and buy you some basic gear. We can go tomorrow in Andromeda to register you as an adventurer and buy you a pet as well." Seryanna patted my shoulder and smiled.
"Alright, but me being human won't cause any troubles, will it?" I asked her.
Considering the fact that my species in this world was in constant battle with hers, I was worried about getting her and myself into some nasty trouble.
"As I said before, as long as you have the recommendation of a knight, you are safe. Grandfather will certainly write you one as well." she reassured me.
"I guess it's fine then. So where should we go to buy some armor?" I asked.
With a smile on her face, Seryanna pulled me along to some of the merchant shops in this town. The people were quite happy to make a deal with Brekkar's granddaughter. Some of them even displayed the best armors they had there. In other words, they knew she was loaded, so they tried to get her to buy everything in sight. Thanks to my [Identificus Processus Juridicus] skill, I was able to spot the fakes and the very bad ones, but surprisingly, what those merchants recommended were actually items of high quality. They weren't trying to trick her or anything.
Some time later, after trying out all sorts of weapons and armors, we were done with buying some basic stuff. I got a steel chainmail, a hardened leather armor set with boots and helmet included, a steel short sword, and a backpack. After that, we went over to the enchanter and made sure my armor wasn't going to break once I moved at full speed. The way of accomplishing this was by infusing Magic Energy in it periodically, otherwise, it would wear out very fast. The strange part was that the way it worked didn't appear on my [Identificus Processus Juridicus] list.
As for conversations, it was mostly along the lines of: we want this; wear that; do this; how much is that; what other stuff you have? Meanwhile, I was the dress up doll for the redhead dragoness.
There were many armors and weapons meant to be used by the anthropomorphic type of dragons. Unawakened versions were pretty rare, so we didn't have too much variety to pick from, that was why we double and triple checked everything there.
"You are all set now." said Seryanna after we left the enchanter.
"I can't believe there's no actual spell to raise the endurance of the armor." I told her while looking at my gloves.
To be honest, I was expecting the enchanter to have one, but now that I remembered, no item I used [Identificus Processus Juridicus] on showed its actual strength and endurance. If it was broken, it simply said where and how broken it was. If it was chipped, it showed me where. If it was wearable, then it said so.
This made me realize that I couldn't judge an armor by enchants and looks alone in this world. Guess that was why Seryanna said that you could make even a copper sword into an insanely powerful one, the downside was that you would spend a lot of coins to make it like that. Still, it would have been a huge waste of resources, but the dragoness didn't lie, it was possible. You could technically do it.
"Magic and Physical damage absorption enchants are the cheapest and most often used on armors. I think you got a decent deal for them." she told me.
"It's only 10% though. It doesn't even come close to what you have." I pointed out.
"True, but this armor is a bit special. Not anyone can have it. The better the skill of the crafter, the higher the chance is that you will find him in the capital or a big trade city, where he is bound to have lots of customers looking for him." she explained.
That pretty much didn't change when compared to a game. The difference in items rarity and levels was always apparent when comparing merchants from Noob Town to those from a Major City.
"Hm?" I noticed then something in the far. It was a trail of black smoke. "What's that?" I asked the dragoness, pointing at it.
"What?" she asked furrowing her brow.
I thought that maybe someone started a barbecue somewhere, but when Seryanna's face turned serious and she clenched the hilt of her sword, I knew that something was wrong.
"Fire… and it's coming from grandfather's mansion!" she said.
"What?" I asked, but she didn't waste any more time and dashed forward in that direction.
"Ah! Wait for me!" I shouted and ran after her, trying hard not to drop my bag.
Was there an accidental fire? Arson maybe? But who would dare attack someone like Brekkar and Seryanna? I hope that old man is safe, and everyone else there for that matter… I thought while trying hard to keep up with the redheaded dragoness.