Thor was mostly ignoring the kids using him as a piece of play equipment as he watched the Forest Dragon berate the puppy.
[Shaggy scales are pretty good too.] Thor noted as the Elf’s mother worked to calm down the dragon so she would turn the boy back to his natural form.
[Now you’re aiming for dragons?] Karl asked.
[All scales are good scales. Plus, those wings. Scales and wings are a good combination.] Thor agreed.
The dragon turned in their direction, and Karl felt a nudge at his mind. He focused on letting it in, and a gentle female voice entered his mind.
[Remind your friend that I am a Forest Dragon, and I can hear him.] She demanded.
Thor perked up. [I have grasses here that are very good for supple scales.]
The dragon glared at Karl, and he patted the eager Cerro on the head.
[Sorry, buddy. You had your shot, but she’s not interested. You’ll have to try again another day on a different dragon.]
Thor was a bit sad that his chance at romance wasn’t coming to him from the dragon with the shaggy scales, but he understood. You couldn’t get every female that you found attractive, or there would be no available females to find attractive in the first place.
The dragon smirked a little as she heard Thor’s thoughts, and dismissed him as a horny teenager who still saw his best chances at finding love to be simply trying for every single female he met.
At least, every one of them with scales because Thor had standards.
The kids were still climbing all over him, and that included the other Elven children from the village now. So, it was clear to Karl that they wouldn’t be going anywhere soon, and he should likely start looking for a space to spend a night, as it would be rude to let Rae just make a random fort on the edge of an established town.
“Well, it looks like we’re not in a hurry to leave. Do you still have the rooms for travellers that the waypoint was designed for? Or a hotel of some sort?” Karl asked.
“Of course. I doubt that they will take your money, as you brought back the children, but there will definitely be a spot for you to stay the night.
What direction is your quest sending you from here? West into the forests?” The Mayor replied.
“East Southeast. I’m not sure what is in that direction, but that’s where it says that I will find what I’m looking for.”
The mayor looked concerned. “I hope that it’s not sending you too far. That region is dangerous, and it’s all controlled by wild beasts and the Monstrous Tribes.
It’s technically part of the Miviascan Empire’s territory, but you won’t find a civilized village in that direction all the way across the Empire. Even Southeast, you would be hard-pressed to find civilization.
That’s why the road runs northeast of here before going east again.
But you are searching for the perfect magical beast, so that might be precisely the sort of region that you’re looking for, no matter how dangerous it is.
Just remember that it is their home territory, and try not to pick fights, or it will draw in every ally and every potential challenger in the region. It won’t matter who wins, they will want to attack when the victor is weakened.”
Karl nodded. “I hope it’s not too far as well. Being lost in the wilderness without my teammates to make dinner and help keep watch sounds like it won’t be much fun.”
The Elf nodded. Karl had said the same thing before, and it was clear that he was used to travelling with a group, and not solo. Perhaps this was the reason that the Gods had deemed that he needed to go on a quest for his reward instead of just receiving it.
They liked independent champions, not ones who relied on the powers of others to support them. So, a nice long trip to get used to being alone and self-sufficient might be just the thing that he needed.
The actual quest reward would be secondary to their goals.
But the Mayor had seen many things in his centuries, and he wasn’t going to spoil it for the young human, who might actually have fewer years under his belt than the children that he had returned.
The Elves of their tribe aged at half the rate that humans did in their youth, and then their appearance paused when they were grown. So it was possible this young human would only have been a child himself by their estimation if someone had been rude enough to ask and remind him of how very mortal he was.
“How about I show you to a room at the inn for the evening. Is it safe to leave your beast unattended?” He asked instead.
“In a way, yes. He’s not hostile, and he doesn’t eat any form of meat. But he’s liable to flirt with the dragon if he thinks she might reconsider, and that could end in disaster.”
The Mayor’s laughter drew the attention of half the village.
“She’s already in a bad mood. Perhaps we should send the kids away and let him rest. I assume that your class grants him a separate space with the others?”
Karl nodded, and the Mayor began to chase off the kids.
Once they were off, Karl called Thor back into his space, and the Forest Dragon briefly looked confused, before she realized that the Cerro had disappeared. She could sense that he was an actual beast, not a summoned illusion or false creature.
So, normally, his thoughts would only vanish if he died.
But she quickly realized that it was just in a separate space so that the children would sleep at some point. If that friendly beast was left with them, they would still be playing in the morning after sneaking out of their homes the moment their parents went to bed.
She didn’t say it out loud, but Karl was thinking the same thing. Elves and Lotus had too much in common. It was not safe to leave unattended beasts around them if they needed to be ready to do things later.
The room actually turned out to be quite luxurious, despite the back to nature rustic look of the village. It had been maintained at the standards that the Darklight Host kept for all its waypoints, and hadn’t been renovated to match the rest of the village.
It was also among the only buildings that were at ground level. There were a few workshops down here, but most of the town lived further up the trees, presumably as a defence against wandering beasts who couldn’t or didn’t climb trees.
“We will see you in the morning, if you are staying around long enough for breakfast. I am usually here at the inn for morning tea, and many of the villagers like to drop in. We also have provisions if you need to stock for a trip. We have access to the Darklight Host Guild Bank, so we can get you all the essentials.”
A Guild Bank? There was some sort of magical bank that had supplies in it, accessible from here? Now Karl was beginning to envy the luxuries that these people enjoyed.
“Thanks. I will arrange supplies for an extended trip in the morning. Sleep well, Mayor.”
