Tribulations of a Dragon

The Bestiary of Legends. Written by Caspariel the Heretic.

Topic: Dragon scales.

A Dragon’s scales are not only protection against the blade, but they are also capable of resisting most magic. This makes any Dragon a formidable foe, as the Dragon can be considered to be wearing armor matching that of the Heroes of Old.

The strength, protection, and durability of a Dragon’s scales appear to be tied to the Dragon’s own magical reserves as well as its age. None of which can be determined purely by visual inspection.

Common knowledge claims that Dragons are similar to the basilisk, but this is incorrect. Basilisks shed their skin and molt large sections of skin, whereas the Dragon’s scales are far more similar to ever-renewing feathers. Although instead of being feathers, the scales are far closer to being teeth in approximation, even that is inaccurate.

Regardless of what the scales truly are, what they do is truly remarkable. Everyone knows that they function to protect the flesh of the Dragon, but few know that instead of being akin to the toughened skin of a basilisk, the scales of a Dragon overlap, creating a similar function as that of the scale mail, which is truly appropriately named, I might add.

The overlapping nature of the scales serves to protect the Dragon from blade, blunt, and arrow.

I have yet to understand exactly how the Dragon’s scales achieve such excellent function. Even when the Dragon is struck directly, the strike appears to have less of an impact than it ought to. Whether this is by the nature of the beast’s magic or an innate property is unknown.

Much to my peers' and my own surprise, when a Dragon prepares for combat, the scales knit tightly together, offering additional protection. Whether there are secondary functions tied to this trait is unknown, but it is speculated that this knitting of scales inhibits the Dragon’s ability to draw in ambient magic.

To circumvent a Dragon’s defenses, one must strike from behind in order to force a blade beneath the scales before the knitting, or strike with such force as to shatter the scales.

Once a scale has been broken, it must be replaced by a new growth, as a bird would a feather. This, I believe, is a result of the nature of the scales, which makes them tremendously tough, but this toughness also brings a certain fragility, much like pottery.

If one considers the scaled parts of a Dragon to be unassailable, how does one then engage a Dragon with a hope to win? Most would again think of the basilisk and tell you to attack the belly, but this is merely a brave way to die. To reach the belly, you must get within reach of the talons, which will surely bring your demise.

Should you choose to still attack the belly, you’ll soon find that instead of proper scales, the belly is covered in ridged, hide-like belly scales, which are certainly easier to breach than the covering scales but will surely require a true strike.

So, to defeat a Dragon, one must bring overwhelming force capable of subduing it for long enough for a true strike to be delivered.

————————

Sitting around a large table in an ornate room were three Elders. The elected Leaders of the town, although at this time one chair remained empty.

The Elders had called this council meeting in the wake of the events that had transpired outside the western gate.

They needed solutions to solve this crisis, as the price to quell the rage of a Dragon was often far steeper than a town like theirs could manage.

“I say we offer up Elder Charo for this grievous error in judgment and hope to appease the Dragon!” proclaimed an older gentleman.

Sitting around him in the meeting hall were two others. An older woman and another old man.

The speaker, Elder Turo, had spoken in equal parts jest and twisted hope that the others would agree to his proposal, but he knew the others would not go for it.

His co-Elders would not directly oppose his suggestion, but they were certain not to approve.

“Hmm… We should really suggest other options before that, Turo.” The one to speak this time was the other man, Elder Brahan. “But we certainly must do something. To have angered a Dragon is certainly a dire mistake, especially for an Elder. At the very least, she must be kicked off the council. If she survives her injuries.”

Making her presence known, Elder Mako cleared her throat before voicing her opinion. “But are we sure the creature was a Dragon? What I mean is that it was brought here by… Raya was it? The gatherer child. I doubt any true Dragon would be lured in so easily and peacefully. It does not match the legends.”

With a sigh, Elder Turo spoke again. “If you wish to clear any doubt, I would suggest you go ask it yourself, Elder Mako.” It was clear from his expression that Elder Turo wanted this meeting over with.

But much to his chagrin, the other two were infamous for their needless yammering and damn near endless ability to not come up with solutions until the very town they lived in burned around their ears.

Chipping in with his usual fence-sitting, Elder Brahan began speaking. “Assuming it is a Dragon, what options are available to us? Dragons are ruthless, vengeful, and brutal creatures. No doubt we’re already doomed by the actions of Charo in such a case.”

The man was clearly still undecided on whether they were dealing with a Dragon or not. But at least he was cautious enough to consider the possibility of the beast being a Dragon.

His motto had always been to prepare for worse than you think will hit you. Though this had begun slipping with age.

Each of the Elders had been selected for what their personalities brought to the table. The town had prospered under the leadership of the increased perspectives, although the Elders themselves rarely left a meeting without a headache.

Elder Mako was known for her tendency to deliberate on any subject, slow to act without sufficient information. Her guidance had secured plans for surviving winters, greatly reducing the town’s risk of starvation.

Elder Brahan had a tendency to be overly cautious, to the point of being paranoid. This tendency had brought much-needed safety for the outriders and hunters.

They were now better equipped thanks to his inexhaustible ideas and ruminations on how they would meet their demise.

Elder Charo took many risks for the benefit of the town. Her affinity for impulsive action had brought riches and, until now, had carried only reasonable risk. She made sure the town wouldn’t stagnate.

Finally, Elder Turo, a man of action, brought the plans of the others into the world. Mako would spend too long thinking, and Turo would act to bring the ideas into reality.

Brahan would be caught in panics, and Turo would pull him back to sanity. Finally, Charo would start projects and ideas but rarely finish them, which is when Turo would step in. In many ways, Elder Turo was both the lead and the shackle for the town.

With a gruff face, Elder Mako expressed her displeasure at Turo’s insistence that the beast was a Dragon. A costly assumption in the face of too little evidence.

The beast had shown too few traits of the legendary Dragons. More than likely, she thought, it was merely a wayward flame basilisk that had wandered into the forest and somehow taken a liking to the gatherer girl.

“So what if it is a flame basilisk instead? They can easily be mistaken for Dragons in the right light, and it was quite late when the sleep-deprived girl brought it.”

Elder Turo couldn’t help but let out a sigh as his peer continued to deny something so obvious. “Did either of you speak to the woman or anyone she has had contact with today?” Neither Elder Mako nor Elder Brahan reacted, seemingly content to just stare at Elder Turo.

“I did. Well, to be precise, I didn’t talk to her. As soon as she left her home, she sprinted towards the northern shopping district. To a certain elven alchemist’s shop. What she told him was enough to convince him that it is indeed a Dragon we’re dealing with. At the very least, he was convinced enough to part ways with a Mind Bridge Potion. Given to Raya practically for free.”

Hearing this caused a stir in the other two, but it was Elder Brahan who finally spoke up. “Why would he do that? Those potions aren’t very useful, but they’re expensive to brew. Certainly, the value lost won’t be easily recovered.” Tapping his chin, Elder Brahan pondered the new information, unsure of what to make of it.

It was common knowledge in the town that Joras was eccentric at the best of times, but to throw around wealth like that was beyond the scope of eccentricity.

It was firmly in the territory of madness. But that bizarre man had a tendency to always turn a bad situation around; somehow, he never made an outright bad deal.

The three Elders continued to bicker for hours on end without reaching an agreement. Even the simple facts of the situation couldn’t be agreed upon.

Frustration getting the better of him, Elder Turo slammed his fists on the table.

“We have the testimony of the guards present, we have the injuries of the wounded guards, we have Charo’s injuries, and the conviction of an elf! What more could you want? That the damnable thing eats you?! This is no mere Basilisk! No Basilisk could do to Charo what this beast did, nor could it heat the helmet of the guard standing near her to the point of deformation!”

Leaning forward with a sigh, Elder Mako spoke once again. “Fine, if we move forward with the ASSUMPTION that this beast is indeed a Dragon, what can we do? Surely a Dragon wouldn’t just let the town stand after having been assaulted by a binding ritual.”

There was truth to Elder Mako’s words. Dragons were infamously vindictive and vengeful towards anyone who attempted to subdue them, particularly with magical bindings.

Stories of great wizards and mages attempting to bind Dragons with magic were plentiful and always ended in one of two ways: either the caster was burned to death or eaten. It was difficult to say which was worse.

“Can we teach the girl the Mind Bridge spell and have her request leniency on our behalf?” Finally, Brahan was chipping in with something useful, thought Turo.

“Does anyone know where she is?” Even while asking, Turo, of course, already knew she had left town right after her visit with Joras.

So she was somewhere deep in the forests, most likely searching for her Dragon.

“Returning to my first suggestion of sacrificing Charo for the safety of the town, I add to it that, from a legal standpoint, we should treat the Dragon as Raya’s pet. Furthermore, taking that into consideration, Charo’s actions should be seen as a breach of law, the attempt to forcibly steal a companion from another. Unless either of you have a better suggestion, or any suggestion.”

Turo was growing tired of this charade; they both knew what must be done for the town to have any hope of dealing with the Dragon peacefully.

And this gesture would serve as both retribution for the hostile acts against it as well as submission to its will.

“Perhaps it is you we should remove from the council, Turo; those are extreme suggestions.” Mako didn’t have much to add, there were too many unknowns for her, but this idea from Turo just didn’t sit well with her.

Undoubtedly, he was looking to get rid of Charo, who had been a thorn in his side for some time.

As usual, Brahan was on the fence, unable to make up his mind either way, so this session was destined to continue for quite some time.

————————

Joras was delighted at Raya’s visit. This was a development he could not have predicted. The opportunity to meet an actual Dragon! What a magnificent turn of events!

The moment Raya departed from his store, he rushed back to his brewing stand, hoping the potions hadn’t spoiled. Oh, he could not let this opportunity slip by! And what frustration to need to finish his project!

Raya’s arrival had coincided with Joras brewing a new batch of Healing Potions, which the town frequently commissioned. A job that needed to be finished before he could head out.

Healing Potions weren’t particularly expensive to brew, but they were easy to mess up. And because of that, he needed to mind them as they progressed through the tubes of his alchemical equipment.

Any moment he deemed safe, he rushed through his store to collect the necessary potions for a journey to the forest.

Potions to make him quieter, to mask his presence, and whatever else he could think of for a trip into dangerous territory.

With time having passed much faster than he would have liked, he slung his satchel over his shoulder and stomped towards the door, but as he reached for the knob, it swung inward. A frustrating interruption to his now busy schedule.

Oh, the torment of having to maintain his mundane tasks as a shopkeeper, but be a shopkeeper he must.

Much to his surprise, it wasn’t just any customer entering his store. It was one of the council members. Elder Turo had shown up in person.

If he had to assess the usefulness of the members, Elder Turo would be firmly planted in second place.

For all the frustration Elder Charo brought, she knew how to get things rolling. Comparatively, the other two were practically useless in Joras’ opinion.

“Yes, what do you want, Elder?” The question had been more of an obligation than interest. What Joras wanted was for this man to leave so he could finally leave to find Raya and the Dragon.

But entertaining Elders when they showed themselves was a necessary dance if he wanted to stay in town.

Without their protection, Joras would have been forced out long ago.

“I’m looking for information about a certain young woman, a gatherer by the name Raya, do you know her or of her?”

Oh, how frustrating for him to have added to his question. Not an easy question to dodge without lying. And outright lying was something Joras didn’t do. Which was something Turo knew well.

“Of course I know of her. She’s my primary supplier of mundane herbs. A dutiful little gatherer, that one. And she has a knack for finding excellent specimens.”

“That she certainly does. Though I suspect she found something a little better than a mere excellent specimen yesterday. And given that you’re being evasive, I assume she came in here today. And since it’s still early, she wouldn’t have any herbs to sell, which means she wanted something.”

Damn that Turo, he really knew how to get under Joras’ skin. Every inquiry and statement drawn out to make Joras more impatient. The Elder hadn’t asked a question this time, which meant that Joras didn’t have to answer, but silence could easily be its own answer.

Especially when the other party has more information than they’re letting on. Feeling fed up with this ordeal and wanting to get moving, Joras decided to just get it over with.

“I’ll assume you already know a considerable amount about this situation, so I’ll just skip the foreplay. She was here; she wanted a Mind Bridge Potion, which she couldn’t afford. So I offered an exchange: a potion for information. She agreed, so I offered to buy any Dragon’s blood she might acquire. Which she declined. And then she left.”

With a hmm, Turo mulled over the new things he had learned. “You say she refused. Can I assume it was because she didn’t want to, rather than that she couldn’t?” Frustrating to the end for Joras.

“Indeed, otherwise she would have acted differently and explained why she couldn’t. Now, you have your information, and I have things to do, so you should leave, Elder Turo.”

Joras practically shoved the Elder out of his shop.

Having finally extricated himself from the elder’s frustrating questioning, Joras was headed toward the forest.

He wouldn’t have much of a chance tracking down Raya if not for the fact that he had applied a minor tracking spell to the potion he had given her.

Entering the forest, he opened his satchel and prepared the first four potions brought for this trek.

It was well known that consuming multiple potions in a short time would lead to magical depletion, an awful condition that feels as if your blood is simultaneously frozen and on fire, often leading to delirium for the unaccustomed, potentially even to unconsciousness.

The effects of magic depletion would last the full duration of the potions consumed. In his case, this would be an entire day, though different potions, of course, had different durations.

But Joras knew this well enough and kept his tolerance high. He fully intended to go through with his preparations, so he started out with the Potion of Scent Erasure.

A simple potion which conceals the consumer’s scent, making them undetectable to all but the most well-trained of tracking beasts.

Exactly how it worked was a mystery. Even scents attached to clothing would become hidden with the effects of this potion.

Next was the Potion of Silent Steps. This potion not only silenced the consumer’s movements, but also enhanced intuition, allowing the user to avoid stepping on branches or creaky floorboards, whichever the case may be.

The third was a Potion of Enhanced Hearing, a simple thing, but remarkably useful for many purposes, from simply keeping watch to outright torture.

And finally, a Potion of Enhanced Endurance. This one wasn’t strictly necessary, Joras just felt that he wasn’t quite in shape to wander through a forest unaided.

He had spent years in his shop, neglecting his body in favor of improving his chosen profession.

Joras had already begun feeling the effects of magic depletion after the third potion, but he was determined to find this Dragon. Fighting against the effects, he set out on his trek into the woods.

And so the journey began. Joras felt the tracking spell guiding him towards the potion he had given Raya, and, to his surprise, it was quite a distance into the woods.

Sensing the trajectory of the tracking spell, he was headed southwest. This would take him close to Undine Lake.

About half an hour into his trek, he cursed at the humidity of the forest and the unreliable terrain. Swearing that once he returned to town, he would not neglect his body any further.

This ordeal was torture for the elven alchemist, further compounded by the toll magic depletion was taking on him.

Looking around, he was surprised to see a significant amount of useful herbs growing. Had Raya been planting them? These plants should not be growing so close to town, at least not in this quantity.

If that was the case, he had severely underestimated her competence. Not that he considered her incompetent, but this was beyond the scope of what was expected.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he continued his journey into the forest. The tranquil sounds of his surroundings were interrupted by a reminder of why he had consumed the potions.

A pack of dire wolves was approaching. He heard them long before he saw them, giving him ample opportunity to find shelter to keep him out of sight.

Although Joras was confident he could win a battle against the wolves, he could not do so without sustaining injuries, which would be an unnecessary risk out here.

He may still be close enough to town to be able to return, even injured, but such injuries would be costly to recover from. An unnecessary burden when caution easily prevented that outcome.

Having decided against engaging the pack, he crouched down behind a fallen log and waited out the pack of wolves. They were in no rush to move, and because of that, neither was Joras.

They passed by, but he continued to wait, making sure they wouldn’t see him as he emerged from his shelter.

Joras returned his focus to the tracking spell, which indicated that the potion’s bottle hadn’t moved for some time. Which Joras found quite worrying.

By his estimate, Raya was by far the person most familiar with these woods out of all those in town who ventured outside the walls. She practically lived out here.

Even experience was no guarantee of safety, though. None but the Gods could prevent any and all accidents that might befall someone wandering in the wilds.

This notion was, of course, reinforced by Raya’s own retelling of how she had met the Dragon.

With his attention brought to Raya’s story as told by the guards, Joras thought it quite peculiar. An almost divine stroke of luck to not only be saved from certain death at the jaws of the ferocious wolves, but to be saved by an even greater foe.

One which turned out to be benevolent. It was unfathomable, and the Dragon matched none of the stories he knew of. To his knowledge, this was truly unheard of.

No doubt the Dragon had taken her coin. Joras knew Raya always kept her coin pouch close by, having had it stolen in the past.

But she had arrived at his shop with a very specific amount of coin. The exact amount Joras had given the guard in exchange for Raya’s herbs.

This had been his motivation to bring his own coin pouch. No doubt he could grease the wheels, as it were.

Though he found himself hoping any payment the Dragon might request wouldn’t be too steep. This venture was already proving quite costly.

The total value for the potions was nearing fourteen gold. Easily worth it if his schemes succeeded, but a significant loss if he were to fail, in more ways than simply financial.

He knew about his reputation in town for never striking a bad deal, but the source of that reputation was simply his willingness to accept a small loss in profits for a given potion.

A potion crafted for one client could easily be sold to another at a slight discount, after all.

It helped that he was the only alchemist in the region willing to take that risk, so people came to him for their odd requirements.

Joras could feel himself getting close to the location of the tracking spell, it still hadn’t moved, which wasn’t likely to be good news.

As he turned a final corner, he found the shards of glass that used to be the potion.

Searching the area, Joras found clear evidence of something big coming through here, most likely a type of bear, and judging by the lack of general damage, an intelligent one at that.

That was a problem, but he needed to look for other clues.

Searching carefully, he found the tracks of a second large animal, reptilian, judging from the prints.

It had entered the area from a second direction and left in the direction of the lake.

This left him with a couple of options: either follow the bear tracks and see what had transpired, or go to the lake, assuming those tracks were from the Dragon.

So now was the time to do what he always did in these cases. A secret weapon no one knew he frequently used.

He flipped a coin.

Fate had spoken, and off he went towards the lake.

He wasn’t too far from the lake, which was quite a blessing, as the magic depletion was really taking its toll, and he needed to rest.

Pressing on, Joras finally made it to the clearing of the lake, drenched in sweat from the humid forest and exertion, but it was worth it as he saw something truly unique. A Dragon dumping a mouthful of water onto a young woman.

“You ass!”

Raya started to undress down to her underwear and walked into the water, dipping her head under and, to Joras’ surprise, she started chasing the Dragon.

The scene unfolding before his eyes was unreal. No story had ever told of Dragons allowing others to treat them as prey or even playing as equals. Dragons were simply too prideful.

Oh, this would be an interesting mystery to uncover. Ideas were swarming in Joras’ head, so many opportunities with a compliant Dragon.

But for now, he was content simply to watch the pair frolic in the water.

As the day continued, the Dragon and Raya’s intensity died down to a much calmer pace, eventually settling into simply enjoying each other’s company.

Still merely skulking in the shadows of the treeline, Joras kept watch even as evening approached.

Not a single thing had happened for quite some time. Joras feared he might even fall asleep due to exhaustion caused by both exertion as well as the magic depletion.

But then finally, movement. The pair got up and, as if contemplating what to do, stared at each other for a moment. Finally starting the trek back to town.

Joras couldn’t help but be curious about how the Dragon would handle that situation as well as seeing whatever madness the Elders had finally settled on.

As the unlikely duo made their way through the forest, Joras followed suit, making sure to keep some distance to avoid being spotted.

The path taken by the duo showed Raya’s superiority when it came to navigating the woods. Where Joras had struggled with branches and bushes grabbing onto his clothes.

Raya gracefully leaped from one root to another, seemingly making sure to use paths that the Dragon could fit.

He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed to him that the two were keeping a slower pace than they were capable of. Something for which he was grateful.

His thoughts were brought back to their destination and what the town of Tuiran could do about this looming threat.

He had no doubt any defensive or offensive measure the town could muster would at most wound the Dragon. He might be able to kill it, but the cost would be terrible.

Caught up in his thoughts, Joras didn’t realize Raya and her friend were slowing down, but he was brought back to the situation at hand as the two had stopped, and the Dragon let out a low growl. Showing clear displeasure at the presence of the town.

He watched the two as Raya brought a hand up and placed it on the snout of the Dragon, seeming to bring the Dragon’s head closer and giving it a hug.

As he found himself hoping to overhear anything Raya might say, he was surprised to find himself in a rather unfavorable situation.

He hadn’t realized just how close to the two he had gotten. Where he stood, he would be visible even to a half-blind human.

The Dragon had disengaged from Raya’s hug and turned to face him, and as their eyes met, the Dragon’s growl intensified. It seemed they had both been surprised.

Unsure of how to handle the situation, Joras threw himself to the ground, hoping a show of submission would keep him safe.

“Uhm, what are you doing, Joras?” Evident from her tone, Raya had not expected to see him here.

“I’m showing submission, so ideally I don’t get eaten.” He said with surprising calm.

“No, I mean, how come you were following us?”

Looking up, his gaze shifted between the Dragon and Raya. “Do you think your Dragon friend would mind if I got up? The forest floor is remarkably uncomfortable.”

Raya just shrugged, not giving much indication either way.

The Dragon had stopped growling, which Joras took to mean approval of his intentions to get up.

“So, how come I am following you. Quite simple, really. I wanted to know for sure whether or not it was a Dragon you met. And as it turns out, that is most definitely a Dragon.”

Raya’s expression didn’t change much at his declaration, but she did take on a more guarded stance as she didn’t know what his intentions were.

Joras found himself getting frustrated with the ongoing stalemate, so he began rummaging through his satchel.

Feeling the markings of the potion he sought, he brought it out of his satchel and held it toward Raya.

“Drink this, little lady, then speak on my behalf.”

“I’m not just gonna drink some random potion.” Frustrating as it was to Joras, that wasn’t an unreasonable policy.

Doubting he’d get anywhere in his position, he decided to pivot and focus on the Dragon instead of Raya.

So he pointed at the Dragon, opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. Appearing somewhat confused as it cocked its head, the Dragon soon followed suit.

As the Dragon stuck out its tongue, Joras sprang into action. He pulled out his thin, pointed dagger as he stepped forward.

In a swift motion, Joras placed his unarmed hand on the Dragon’s tongue and plunged the dagger through his hand, into the Dragon’s tongue. The final act necessary was to cast the spell.

The dagger’s path had brought their blood together, which allowed Joras to use his specialized magic.

The Dragon’s response to his actions were as aggressive as they were expected. With a twist of its head, it had knocked Joras to the ground. It growled as it loomed over him, he found himself face to face with a very angry Dragon.

In a rush, he spoke, hoping to quell the Dragon's rage. “Calm yourself, Dragon. I mean you no harm.”

Raya had been left stunned by the whole interaction. It had been so sudden and she couldn’t even react to it.

To think that the Dragon had now been attacked twice for trusting her. This was truly awful and it was entirely her fault.

As Raya was caught up in her own thoughts of what she had done, the Dragon seemed to calm down and withdraw.

She had expected this to be the end of the elf, but instead he had received a deserved battering. Joras felt the bruises form from the rough treatment and opted to sit, rather than stand.

Joras looked up at the Dragon with a sense of relief. “I assume it worked then. Just to make sure, please lift your left front leg, Dragon.”

“She doesn’t understand us.”

But much to Raya’s surprise, the Dragon did as requested. Not understanding what was going on, Raya flung herself at Joras, attacking him.

“You bound her?! She’s supposed to be free, you monster! Let her go or I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!”

Focusing on protecting his face and fending off the small woman’s attacks, he hurried to explain the situation as best he could.

“I didn’t bind her! It’s a comprehension spell! All it does is allow for two parties to understand each other through blood! Calm down, you utter lunatic!”

While those two were going at it, the Dragon seemed quite content to just watch the spectacle. The tiny woman was ferocious in her assault of the much larger man.

His sitting position proved to be a significant weakness, as his height couldn’t be leveraged to keep her from his face.

As Joras explained what he had done, Raya calmed down and took a moment to digest what he had said.

“Why did you do that?! Why did you cast a spell on her? Why not just use a potion?!” Raya’s anger was palpable as she shouted at the the elf, but to his credit, Joras took the sudden assault in stride.

“Remember just moments ago as we stood in this very spot and I offered you a potion? THAT was when I wanted to use a potion, but SOMEBODY declined, so I had to pivot and choose a different method!”

The frustration in his voice earned him a growl from the Dragon.

“You were being suspicious! You’ve clearly been following us for some time for you to end up behind us. And then you suddenly offer a random potion, how could I not be suspicious of that? What if it was poison?! Why didn’t you just drink the potion yourself?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he just sighed.

“I can’t be anything but suspicious, I’m an elf living in a goblin village. And I didn’t drink the potion myself for two reasons. First is that I’m already affected by magic depletion. And second, do you think I would be more trustworthy if I had consumed the potion? Enough of this. Dragon, how about you add something to the conversation, perhaps by introducing yourself?”

The Dragon continued to stare at him, appearing unsure of what to do in this situation. The notion of a Dragon speaking seemed absurd to both the Dragon and Raya.

“Okay, seems you’re not getting it, so I’ll explain. You are clearly intelligent, at least more so than the beasts around here. You know at least one language, otherwise you wouldn’t understand me. That language is advanced enough to have equivalent words to at least most of what I’ve said so far, correct? So, in order for you to speak, simply try to speak in whichever language you’re accustomed to and the spell should take care of the rest.”

As the Dragon thought about his ramblings, it turned to stare at Raya and stuck out its tongue. Joras looked at the scene and let out a sigh of exasperation. “Fine…”

He took hold of Raya’s hand and brought his dagger to her palm. Blood welled from the small cut he made.

He then guided her hand towards the Dragon’s tongue, but found himself caught in a moment of surprise.

The previous cut had not only stopped bleeding, but from the looks of it, it had healed already. Another cut was necessary.

With that done, he cast the comprehension spell once more.

“It is done. You can now understand each other. The spell will be active some time so do with that what you want.

The Dragon appeared to perk up as it let out a mix of growls, snarls, and small roars while trying to speak. It didn’t have much success until…

“My… Name… Is… Kira… Not… Dragon…”

“Hello, Kira! I’m Raya!” Raya exclaimed, a bright smile spreading across her face, appearing to have forgotten the rage she felt mere moments ago.