A Dragon's Curiosity

Regarding the ardent speech made by the head instructor, Nisha and her group had no idea. After picking their weapons and confirming with each other that they were ready for the last time, the trio set out towards the small forest first.

As a natural born predator, Nisha had an advantage when it came to tracking prey. Unico, on the other hand, smiled as always and tagged along. Every now and then, his gaze would switch to Lisa, who lagged behind. Compared to the even road and tidy yards she knew, the uneven ground hindered her and made her stumble. This was not even the forest yet, which happened to be at least twice as treacherous.

Aside from the dragon, who strolled freely around, and the young man who used a hint of a movement technique in his normal gait, the young girl in their group cursed after almost falling again.

“That’s not a nice thing to say. You should reserve that language, at least when others are present.”

To Lisa, it felt like Nisha mocked her, easily floating and showing no difficulties at all.

“It’s just not fair. How come I almost broke my leg just now, and you tread on rose petals? Is there some kind of enchantment on your boots? Do you use a spell to aid you? That’s it, isn’t it?”

The girl clutched at any excuse and massaged the aching spots on her legs.

“You’re just not used to it yet. This young miss isn’t swindling you, really. As long as you get through the first time and keep practicing, a little bumpy field like this will be the same as a flat plane in no time at all.”

To prove his words, Unico soared through the green. He helped the blond girl up, causing a slight blush, maybe out of embarrassment, to appear on her cheeks.

“It’s so unfair. There is no difference between this place and the plots in the capital. Why is there a hole in the ground anyway? Who put it there?”

Complaining about the situation to redeem some of her pride, Nisha sighed and picked up her short sword and shield.

“You think this is the same as a carefully cared for and cultivated garden? I can tell you what the hole is, anyway. It should be a den of first ranked rodents, some sort of small monster. Take care not to get bitten.”

Nisha grinned at her antics and playfully added a fact, which instantly paid off.

The blonde girl shrieked and jumped away. Realizing what she did, Lisa teared up and weakly beat the other girl with her fists.

Unico only shook his head and surveyed the area to make sure no animal sneaked up on their group.

Accalia took this chance to return from scouting the area, and the mocking look in the beast’s eyes made Lisa feel even worse. They all conspired with each other against her!

“That wasn’t funny at all! You know this is my first time I made a trip without some sort of guards out of the capital. It’s all new to me; don’t make fun of me.”

In the end, the whole rush simply defeated the young woman. Gripping the training gear harder to suppress her anxiety, Lisa pulled herself together.

She already knew both of her teammates were more outstanding compared to herself, but she did not expect the differences to become so apparent, simply by walking a plain field.

“Don’t mind it too much. I grew up in a forest. It’s natural I know more about the Wilderness and get around better here.

“On the other hand, you probably are much more familiar with Thurgau and can make your way around the shops without getting cheated. I still remember the first time I bought tea; it was a complete disaster.”

Seeing her friend feel dejected bothered Nisha, and she intervened to cheer her up. The elf was a kind being inherently, at least to her kin. Her enemies, on the other hand, should fear for their limbs and physical wellbeing. Fortunately, the group of three had yet to meet any enemies; otherwise, the sight of a gentle smile on the face of a blood-smeared dragon would probably only traumatize the poor blonde girl further.

“I somehow can’t imagine that. Money is a resource, something constant and a means to an end.

“To me, my imagination fails to comprehend that a simple commodity can be difficult for you.

It’s silly when I say it out loud, but the lessons I have had with you so far were always effortless to you; I thought other situations would be the same.”

Checking every step twice, Lisa resumed the trek towards the forest area. While it took her significantly longer to make the same distance, at least her footing improved over time.

“Stop flattering me; I’m not perfect by any means. Most people can do the same thing as me; take Unico for example. He can traverse any terrain with the technique of his; it should be a movement technique of the second rank at least. I am quite sure, with a bit of practice, you can do the same. It’s only a matter of practice.”

Skipping over a deep crevice, Nisha passed the ball to Unico, who grinned as usual.

The young man flinched for a moment when he became the center of attention, yet he recovered in a flash.

“Is that true, Unico? Did you also practice this when you lived in the twin kingdoms?”

The blonde girl jumped at the chance and questioned the young man. If he had a similar, previous experience, she would not feel as bad about her own beginner steps.

“Hmm, I think you could say so. Among the things I had to learn, there was a small discourse about moving through difficult terrain. It was more of a necessity than a real learning experience, though. Do you know about the twin kingdoms?”

Since the question was rather broad, the two girls shook their heads, one of them looking on in interest while the other had to keep hers on the ground to not fall. After a short consideration, Nisha recalled some details she learned previously in the Grand Library.

“Do you mean the terrain? The twin kingdoms are quite famous for their hot water springs. Situated within a group of high hills, the center of the kingdoms have several large boiling water sources which stream down in all directions. As a result, the architecture specific to the kingdoms has adapted to accommodate the streams and humid air, as well as the mist shrouding the entire area.”

Recalling the information with a flat voice, Nisha’s explanation caused the purple-skinned youth’s eyes to light up, and he nodded.

“Indeed, you are quite well informed. As a result of the drenched lands, quite a few swamps and similar environments developed. It’s almost impossible to stay afloat without learning a movement technique. As you might know, my father is a member of the guards around the envoy who came to Leandar; my education took part all over the twin kingdoms. It’s similar to your upbringing in the forest, Nisha. Do you mind sharing the details with Lisa and me? We still have to travel a bit before we reach the woods anyway.”

Even when moving around and checking the suspicious hiding places for hidden monsters, Unico narrated with an even voice.

Naturally, his actions went to waste since Nisha’s [Spirit Eyes] covered the whole area and revealed all things, living or not. She did not mind revealing more about herself either, as she had already mentioned the [Hunting Grounds].

“It’s nothing much. As you heard, I grew up in a forest. In a large area, my grandfather, two of my friends, and I were the only souls around. Thanks to that, we are as close as sisters. Anyway, without any other humans or elves around, we mostly ran around the forests and took care of our livestock. Aside from the farm work and hunting, the woodlands became our playgrounds, and whenever we wanted something, we had to get it ourselves.”

Nisha recalled her life before meeting Eldrin and realized that there was not much of a difference between living in the royal [Hunting Grounds] and the [Dragon’s Den]. The law of the jungle remained the same between humans, beasts, or monsters.

“To make sure you understand that point, even if you had gold, no one cared for it. You could neither trade anything for it, nor did it have any worth. Ordinary rocks or bricks had more worth compared to it, considering that a well-cut brick could repair a wall, but gold had no worth.

“Money was a foreign concept. Either we sisters shared everything with grandfather, or you traded for small trinkets. Only after I started living in the capital did I learn about property. I was quite surprised to learn that gold had a high value, you know?”

Nisha beamed about the hidden joke, as she really had no idea about the value of her shinies and treasures before coming to Thurgau. If the dragon sold off all of her hidden wealth in the [Inner Space], she might rival a strong House of the count rank. Some of the treasures unearthed in the Wilderness were quite rare to come by in human territory and had a correspondingly high price.

“Anyway, we went outside any chance we had and played games or just ran around. Between small creeks, groves, and mountainsides, we had nature itself as our teacher. So Unico’s remark is really spot on. Our approach to movement techniques is quite similar.”

Giving a signal to her companion, Nisha ordered the beast to check upon a suspicious place at the edge of her perception. As much as she enjoyed chatting with her friends, they embarked on a training journey and eventually had to face the monsters for their mission.

“Just keep practicing while we keep an eye on you; in no time at all, you won’t even notice the difficulty of the terrain. It’s the same for every profession; after the initial struggle comes rapid improvement. Remember to ask for help if you need it though.”

Twirling the slender spear she picked from the prepared stash in a complete cycle, the dragon infused her darkness mana into the weapon. [Shadow Clad], the first skill she ever obtained, added additional damage to each strike and allowed her strength to infiltrate her party-members’ bodies quietly without alarming them. Considering the fact that the elf had advanced to the third rank in both disciplines already, she had yet to pick another skill and spell from the [Great Library] since she still had not yet explored the depths of the techniques she already possessed.

Her two friends noticed the change in attitude. Starting from her grip on the spear, dark lines stretched along the entire weapon and dyed it entirely black. While they did not know which skill exactly the elf activated, they, too, readied themselves and a quiet blue glow shrouded Unico’s dagger.

“Did you spot an enemy?”

With a lowered voice the young man inquired, looking in all direction to spot the threat.

“Follow me; I think I found our first target. Unico, stay on my left and take the front. Lisa, you can flank the monster and support him. I will assist from the mid-range with my spear; I have a longer reach. Accalia can continue to scout and prevent other monsters from interfering with our fight.”

In a combat situation, the dragon naturally took up a leadership role and improvised a rough battle plan. Neither Lisa nor Unico objected and closely followed along as the elf directed them along the path her beast had searched through already.

Under the first few tree crowns, the wolf crouched in a dense grass patch, almost invisible unless an observant tracker specifically looked for her.

A pair of sheep rested against the trunk of a somewhat sturdier tree. Nibbling on the surrounding greenery, they did not look quite dangerous; although their physique exceeded the size of regular livestock, the sheep looked about twice as big as their domesticated cousins.

To Little Lia’s credit, the monsters did not seem to have noticed yet that they were about to be ambushed by a group of predators.

“Alright, this is still feasible. While taking on two at the same might sound dangerous, neither of those monsters exceed the first rank. If we cooperate well, the fight might turn out to be unexpectedly straightforward. Unico, you will still take on the front line position, coordinate with Lisa to take down the right sheep. Lisa, your shield and sword are more suited towards defense and acting as a vanguard, but at the same time, you can safely flank an enemy while he engages it.

“I will take Little Lia with me and take care of the other monster; make sure to keep some distance between us to avoid interfering at critical moments.

“In the beginning, I will have the harder part and will mainly stall and wait for you to subjugate the first [Stone Wooled Sheep].

“As soon as either battle finishes, we can group up and take down the remaining monster. We will have to put in some effort, yet it is also safer this way.

“When I give the signal, attack your target and pull it to the side.”

In a hushed tone, Nisha amended the original plan and decisively explained her new idea to her group. Since she spoke with finality, the dragon never doubted they would stick with her new arrangement.

Unico showed the temperament of a warrior and nodded briefly before positioning him slightly to the side, ready to strike at the signal.

Lisa hesitated at first, but seeing the broad and dependable back in front of her, the young lady also readied to act.