It's been five days since Melody and I left that strange research cave in the side of the mountain. Thanks to Index, the small scrap of paper that is currently in my breast pocket, we managed to find exactly what we'd been looking for. The research notes that we found were shoved so far back into those shelves we would have probably taken days to go through everything. Index was a life saver. Oddly enough, even after we left the cave this little paper bug stubbornly stuck to me. I don't have any reason to throw it out so I guess I have a pet now. I've never actually had a pet before. This one is pretty nice, I don't have to feed it or anything and, because it's nothing more than a living scrap of paper, it's not too much of a problem to just stick it in the pocket of this dirty purple jacket Melody gave me.
The two of us, Melody and I, are currently flying over the vast green landscape of the silent forest to the city of Bothin. Upon reading the research notes that seem to hold the secret of curing the Master of the Silent Forest from that zombie water, the dragon girl and I realized the painful truth of the situation. There was no way that the two of us were going to be able to suss out the actual method of creating the cure. According to Melody, who does seem to know a lot about magic, the potion that needs to be made is some sort of derivative of a very complicated and very expensive healing potion. There's no way she, much less me, would be able to make the thing. We need to call upon the services of an Alchemist more familiar with the craft. So, with that in mind, I'm going to have to do it. I’m going to have to go into Bothin and hire the guy.
Melody's brother may have been able to transform fully into a human form, but the dragon that I'm riding on has a more exotic look when she tries to do the same. Sure, it's pretty close. She looks human enough for me, but the whole tail and scales business ruins the illusion. Apparently, dragons are also a very precious ingredient for potions. If someone eats a dragon heart the amount of mana they gain is even more than if they eat a human heart. That's still crazy. I really, really need to hide the fact that I know magic while in Bothin. I can’t imagine it would go well for all of the humans I meet to assume I’m some kind of monster. I'd rather not be crushed with stones, thrown in a lake, burned at a pike, or whatever the hell these people do to mages. I swear I've never eaten a person. I don't even like the idea. People taste like pork, right? I think I heard that somewhere. I don't even like pork!
In a sudden burst of power, the wind pushing me back as I desperately cling to Melody's neck, the dragon ascends a bit higher over the curvature of a rolling tree-lined hill. The green abyss that I've been staring at for about three days now receded giving way to a surprising, sparkling view. Bothin was a lot farther away than I expected, the silent forest is huge. What was before us now was the ocean. A big blue ocean lay before me as I squinted while trying to get a better look at the scene. A little past the forest edge, with a wall on the closer side hugging the boundary between the silent forest and a slim strip of the sandy field giving way to the ocean’s beach, there is a sprawling medieval-looking city built halfway up a hill. All the rooftops, from what I can see of them, are painted blue like the ocean backdrop. The houses are mostly made of wood.
I hear the dragon giggle as I take an unsteady breath.
Melody glides, the speed of the flight slowing a bit as she circles back around to the other side of the forest. In the distance, I can hear a collection of what sounds like church bells tolling.
"That is Bothin." She says, turning her head slightly back to look at me, "The city was built by the humans when they intended to settle this land. These stretches of the forest are still riddled with dangerous beasts, so they could not develop further. My brother intended to help them bring them and their advancements farther into his lands to foster some peace with them." She explains, turning back.
With a heavy leading, Melody weaves into the trees, once more hiding from view. Awkwardly, I slide down off her back with my bag hung over my shoulder. The ground is softer than I thought it’d be, so I stumble before standing straight again. The dragon stretches with a large smoky yawn, curling her scorpion-like tail behind her while folding her set of four wings back to her back.
"All you must do is take the money and find an Alchemist of some considerable skill. It should not be a difficult task, many of such practitioners come to this land to have ready access to the rare materials the forest provides. Or so my brother told me, rather..."
I nod, glancing back over at the hill hiding the city.
"Aren't those bells a warning system?" I ask, a little worried.
"Oh, yes. They are worried about me. They surely did not see you." She says.
That's not very comforting, but I know we were far enough away that she's probably correct.
"The other dangerous beasts of the forest rarely wander so close to the human cities at the border, I doubt you will encounter any threats before you make it to the gates. Simply give them money and I am sure those greedy humans will gratefully let you in."
"I can do that. Sure." I say sighing, almost to myself. There's something unnerving about facing a situation like this. The last thing I want to do is have the whole plan go bad. I really can't stand awkward situations. I'd say I hate them more than confronting a dragon for the first time. If it's just a toll I'll live… probably.
I kick the ground with one of the dirty boots that I'd been given. Unlike the pants and the jacket, thankfully these things actually fit. I’ve already come a long way since I wasn't wearing anything. It’s still chilly out here, I really don’t want to go back to being completely nude. I guess I’m still pretty spoiled though, this regenerating body of mine still expects to wear modern fabrics. Everything’s itchy and I didn’t even get socks.
A large and hard mass gently presses against my side as Melody nudges me with her head.
"Arthur, thank you." She says quietly in her growling voice.
"It's really nothing," I say with an awkward smile. I wish she'd say something like that in her human form or even better do something like that in her human form. The dragon thing isn't as charming to me. Still, yeah.
"This is crazy, but I'm getting used to it. I'll be back with the cure as quickly as I can."
The words "I'm supposed to be a hero, after all" get stuck in the back of my throat as I croak out the last part of what I actually said. Even if it's true and a real goddess really did say that to me, there's something incredibly embarrassing about saying that. It's too cheesy.
The dragon nods and turns her massive body away from me. I turn back to the hill, nodding slightly.
“Wait,” I say, turning back to Melody.
She turns back to me with a slightly confused expression.
I just realized that everything has been pretty easy up until now. Sure, nothing is going to go wrong when I go into the city, but it’s a whole step. This is even more of a departure than anything I’ve done so far. I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“If I take one more step I’ll be farther from home than I’ve ever been.” I say jokingly.
“What?” Melody asks, her head tilting to the side. Of course she wouldn’t get the reference, but I think that’s what I’m feeling right now. That’s weird. I’ve been in a forest for a month and I’m talking to a dragon. I was summoned by a goddess to another world to be some sort of fantasy hero. This isn’t the start, but this is it, this is the first time I'll be in society here. It feels surreal.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back.” I say, waving my hand lightly.
Melody huffs, a puff of smoke coming out her nostrils.
“I’ll be waiting. Try not to take too long.” She says.
