CHAPTER 38: “SLAY THE DRAGON”

The old man didn’t react to either of their stunned expressions. It was as if he’d experienced dealing with people who didn’t know anything about the village before, and judging by how old he was and how everything seemed to have come to ruin many years ago, it was certainly possible that they weren’t the first players to come here in search of something and most likely not the last either.

The old man chuckled amusedly at their silence and gestured for them to follow him. The old man might’ve been well beyond his primary age of youth, but Ai was still surprised at how fast he could walk, even with his need of a walking cane. Thankfully, Morion was quick as well and managed to follow the old man without losing track of him. He occasionally looked back and pulled Ai along to make sure the elf didn’t lose his way.

The man led them back into the forest area, but towards the opposite end of where Ai and Morion came in. This specific area had pathways laid out meaning that he was probably leading them to another section of the village and not to murder them both swiftly in the forest.

In the end, Ai didn’t need to worry about being lured into a trap. The old man stopped when they reached another clearing, this time much smaller than the clearing for the main village area. There were a few more destroyed buildings here and there, but the one structure that stood out was most definitely the out of place house at the center of the area.

The manor wasn’t that big or grand. Just the opposite, it was a simple building that looked like any other village hut only slightly bigger with a wraparound porch. The reason why it stood out so much was because it was the only building that was intact.

The old man opened the door and invited the two players in.

The inside of the house barely had any furniture in it but the furniture that was there seemed to have been made through careful craftsmanship albeit it looked a bit run down. The furniture were made from brown bamboo strips that had been woven so intricately and finely together. Plenty of things there seemed to have been made from this bamboo weaving, from the chairs to the flooring to some of the containers he saw lying around.

The man dusted off the chairs and kindly asked for the two of them to sit while he grabbed them tea. As he ran towards what was most likely a kitchen area, Ai and Morion did as the man said and found themselves a seat on one of the bamboo woven chairs. The chairs were hard because of its material, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

As Ai waited for the old man to finish whatever he was doing, he took the time to glance around and observe his surroundings, of this house. He didn’t know what he was feeling exactly as he sat there looking at the wooden walls and bamboo ceiling with the sun coming through the open windows. All his life, he’d been living in a bustling city where its residents stayed in apartments more than they did houses. He himself had been stuck in his apartment without ever leaving. He’d gotten used to waking up everyday and seeing white ceilings and rooms filled with all sorts of modern technology. There was an odd peace that came from the quaint house with simple furnishing.

The old man had finally returned. With one hand holding his cane, he dexterously managed to carry a metal teapot and two plastic glasses. He laid the items on the table at the center of the seating arrangement and carefully poured hot piping tea in the glasses.

The two players thanked him politely before gingerly holding the cup. Ai blew on the cup slowly before sipping the tea carefully. It was tasteless and unsweetened, but he felt the warmth all the way to his stomach, which made him a lot better than before.

“I should start by introducing myself. I have yet to do so, how rude of me.” The old man chided to himself. “Greeting travelers, you may call me Tirto. As you can see, I’m the Elder of this village here.”

Tirto said his last sentence with laughter and a joking tone, but Ai didn’t find it all too funny when his statement was tragically true. He was technically the elder of the village since it didn’t seem like there were any villagers left that could take on the title.

The man cleared his throat and continued. “What or who might you be looking for in this village?”

Ai sipped his tea and glanced at Morion who still left his tea untouched. Logically speaking, it would make sense for Morion to answer with his quest as the answer. His [Ranked Quest] was probably far more urgent that Ai’s own inconsequential quest to appraise Athen, who had taken flight in the middle of the way and hadn’t returned yet. If it wasn’t for the bond, he would’ve been worried that the beast had decided to leave.

If Morion answered with his [Ranked Quest], Tirto might be pushed more easily into giving the information that each of them needed, though Ai wasn’t sure what Morion was looking for exactly.

With all of these thoughts and logic laid out, Ai wasn’t sure what exactly pushed him into answering the question first.

“An object.” He said, so confidently that even Morion gave him a glance. “I’m looking for a Fairy Gem.”

The old man visibly stiffened.

[The Fairy Gem]. 

Ai didn’t know what that was yet Naeya had insisted that if he wanted to seek a [Familiar Appraiser], then he needed to find the [Fairy Gem] first. The gem would speed up an otherwise tedious and maybe unrelenting quest chain to unlock the Appraiser’s services and maybe something more.

At first, Ai had been slightly put off by the quest’s requirements. It seemed like so much effort just to discover what your pet could actually do. If one worked hard enough, they could easily see what their pets could do, all they needed to do was observe and learn their pets’ behaviors carefully and sometimes stealthily. 

So why even bother embark on the quest that had quite the imbalanced task to reward ratio?

After pondering about it for a brief moment, he came to the conclusion that there must be something more than what meets the eye. [World Symphony] was a pretty fair game that gave the players just enough to do what they needed to do. So there must also be something about the appraiser quest chain that made its requirements so time consuming and possibly difficult?

“The Fairy Gem…” The old man pondered for a while, scratching his skin. “And what do you intend to do with this object?”

At that exact moment, Athen made its way from outside. It flew in through the open window and landed itself on Ai’s lap, perching and making itself comfortable. Ai put his cup on the table and stroked the owl’s head. He tried to look as calm as possible, but he was slightly frozen and stunned as his hand mechanically gave the owl’s head head.

The beast had grown. Not by a lot but enough for Ai, who had spent every waking hour with the owl, to notice the difference. Its pure white feathers were also now streaked with golden strands that glinted like gems hidden in cave crevices. It looked so precious that his hand stalled for a bit as he touched the golden feathers.

Morion glanced at them then proceeded to smile at the man. “My partner will surely appreciate any information you can give.”

At his more gentlemanly and polite disposition, the old man relaxed but his eyes didn’t leave the owl’s sleeping form.

“Then, if you wish to have this information, you must do one favor for me.”

Ai and Morion didn’t even blink as they accepted the request. That was the one thing that they’ve been waiting for ever since they saw the old man who lived alone in the only intact village hut. 

The man dug into his pocket and then pulled out a red glinting object. When he put it on the table, Ai recognized it as a giant reptile scale that was as wide as a plate.

“This is…”

“A scale of a dragon that caused the village’s ruin.” Tirto explained sadly. “The cursed beast lives not too far from the village, it made its home at a cave on the nearby mountain.”

Yet how did this one house survive? If it was true that the village ruin was caused by a giant fire that a dragon caused, then it was more unlikely for this house to survive and stay intact without so much as a single soot.  

“I wish for you to slay this fire dragon.”