Like in any great rescuing mission, the four split up with no way to contact each other when one eventually finds Esmeralda.

Rina takes the responsibility of covering the forest nearby while the other three search in town. Rules are do not engage in combat unless there is a team member nearby and talk our way to get Esmeralda back if possible.

‘If they aimed for Es in particular, they must be somewhere secret but big, preferably somewhere that doesn’t allow trespassers...’ Mei thought as she pans her eyes around the street rapidly while speed walking — running when it’s empty. She’s checking the alleyways, warehouses and occasionally asking around.

“Mei!”

A male voice called out her name — in sweats of running and exhaustion, it was Marc; he took a moment to catch onto his breath.

“Any luck?” He asked while still looking around the crowded street. In which Mei replied by quietly shaking her head, so Marc continues on.

“Can you check the Adventure Guild’s building? I wanted to take a look at the cathedral.” Marc looked at the white tall building in the distance, with a quartz cross on top.

“Why would… We need to check the church?”

“In the off chance that some sketchy cult uses dragon blood for their rituals, I don’t really have anywhere else to check.”

Mei nodded and the two went on their way. It’s been 15 minutes, not including the time they spent getting here from town and no luck of finding Esmeralda.

Meanwhile, somewhere else...

“You sure this little Emerald Dragon is anything special?” A tall man wearing a white suit and a brimmed beret said.

It’s a dark place with only a candle to vaguely lit up the surrounding. The walls are dark bricks and stones — with three smaller rooms made out of iron bars, only enough for two grown people to lie down. It’s a jail room of sorts.

The only thing left is a staircase that leads upwards to a room that seems well-lit, but the stairs underneath are being guarded by one or two armored guys. Esmeralda is in the first unlocked cell, still in her dragon form and being chained to the wall behind by her neck.

“Here is the status board if you’re that skeptical.” A lady said, creating a status board and reaching her hand out to show it to the guy.

+Transformation (Human)

Transformation: When in Dragon form, the skill will display “Human” and vice versa, activate the ability to switch to the displayed form. Two hours cooldowns since last use.

“Transformation?” The tall guy with a beret said in a rhetorical tone.

“Eck.” Esmeralda said, which translates to “Fuck.”

Another candle was lit, Esmeralda took a moment to get a clearer look at the group of four who took her. They all seem to be professionals — judging by their white suit with long smooth trousers; plus they’re wearing a silver tag on their chest which said “SSS.”

‘Is that a Rank?’ Esmeralda thought, trying to force open the chain on her neck.

The four of them included two male and two female. A tall serious-looking guy with a brimmed beret, a woman with white short hair, glasses and seems half asleep, which is the same woman that showed the status board. A buff yet non-intimidated guy with spiky hair and lastly, a blue haired piggy-eyed woman with a bow resting on her back, no arrows to be seen, though.

"How did you guys manage to find this?" The tall guy asked.

'I have a name, cap.' Esmeralda thought.

"Same way anyone would find a shapeshifting dragon actually, saw her transforming in the middle of the street." The girl with a bow on her back said with a hand on her chin.

"Kiek reik" which translates to "That’s not how you find a dragon."

“That’s not how you find a dragon.”

“That’s not how you find a dragon.”

“That’s not how you find a dragon.”

All four of them, including Esmeralda said.

"Fine, you boring people."

After everyone sighs and shakes their head for a bit. The first guy, who seems to be the leader, spawned out a piece of raw meat from nowhere, walked towards Esmeralda and kneeled down to get close to the smol thing.

“Hey there little guy, do you want this?” He asked, holding a piece of nice round ribeye steak cut in front of her.

“Hey Barack… I’m no biologist, but that’s a female, I mean I just show you the status board.” the bored girl with glasses said.

‘Yeah dude, what kind of name is Barack anyway? Is your first name also Obama?’

The beret guy, Barack slowly facepalmed himself and glared at Esmeralda murderously.

“Fine, let’s make this quick — Don, don’t let anyone enter unless you have my expressed opinion.” he said, charging a flame up from his index finger.

The buff spiky haired guy, Don, quietly nods and walks up the stairs, not before greeting the two guards.

“Kek!” Esmeralda can sense the flame on Barack’s finger isn’t friendly for her, she tried breaking free from the iron chain on her neck, when wiggling and struggling doesn’t work — she tried her best to avoid Barack, by kicking and stomping him away; her small legs did nothing but made Barack more annoyed.

“I don’t know if you understand human words, but either you show me your transformation or your meal won’t be protein, notice how I say meal in singular?”

Before Esmeralda could think of an answer, she got pinned straight to the wall behind by an invisible force — Barack then squeezes her nostrils, causing Esmeralda to begin breathing with her mouth.

Seeing Esmeralda’s mouth now wide open, Barack put the flaming hot fireball inside her mouth and making sure it won’t stop burning.

“KREKKKK!”

The flame is more dangerous than it seems, with just the top of Esmeralda’s mouth beginning burning — she felt as if her entire nervous system was going down in flame and she’s in hellfire. She struggled to breath, she began panic screeching and couldn't think of a way to get out of this situation other than transforming and listening to what these people had to say.

The flame on Barack’s finger stopped as he saw Esmeralda’s body being covered by a bright light source. Her dark greenish skin began changing into a smooth human skin, a small dragon turning into a teenage girl with cold reptile’s amber eyes and greenish hair. The only difference from her last transformation is that this time, she had clothes on — specifically Mei’s white shirt and long dress like a normal village girl. So the clothing will carry over to her next transformation.

“Oh, better than I expected.” Barack said.

“My mouth… water… it burns.” Esmeralda weakly said while gasping for air. With some anger left inside her — she bit Barack’s hand, which he didn't react to.

“So, Nea, do you have any ideas what Barack is gonna do to this poor underage kid?” The girl with a bow on her back whispered, poking the glasses girl on her shoulder. Nea being the sleepy glasses girl’s name.

“Probably for his own entertainment.”

“I heard that you two!”

“Water…” With a chain still around her neck — Esmeralda began streaming down sweats and her body temperature began rising up like NiP | (Gold) RMR 2020 sticker prices after getting dev1ce on their roster. Her face blushed bright rose red, her hands began to shake nervously as she held tight onto Barack’s suit; begging him for water with her burning tongue sticking out for air. It’s safe to confirm that everytime she transformed into her human form, she gets like this.

“Don’t look at me with that face, I’m going to commit federal crime for touching a minor.” Barack said, channeling some water from the air to his hand.

“As we’ve guessed.” The piggy-eyed girl with a bow said, then shook her head and walked up the stairs.

When she greeted the guards, the sort of trapdoor covering the jail room to the above room opened; in which Don — the buff guy with spiky hair walked through.

“Someone’s looking for a missing young green dragon, she doesn’t seem like someone in town.” He said, pointing upwards.

“Let me handle that.” Barack said as he stopped pouring water down Esmeralda’s tongue which was sticking out.

 

“Alize, keep a watch on her.” He said, looking at the girl with a bow.

“Sure boss, as if Don and Nea is busy and I’m the only one slacking off.”

“Oh, you’re admitting to slacking off now?”

“Just get onto talking with our guest already, leader”

...

Walking up from the basement of the Adventure Guild’s building — a tall well suited man with a brimmed beret happily reaches his hand out greets Mei with a handshake, she immediately recognizes him.

“You must be Barack, one of the high rankings of the State Security of Sulkos (SSS).” Mei shook his hand with a smile.

"Indeed, you're fancying yourself a dragon I heard?"

"It's not like that." The handshake between those two stopped. "I'm looking for my niece, a young cute Emerald Dragon called Esmeralda, have you seen anyone like that?"

Barack, knowing well how to hide his expressions; doesn't react to that question.

"I do have a pet demihuman at home, but a dragon seems too much for us to witness in a city."

“Is that so…” Mei sighed in disappointment and looked down. “But your hand smells like her, more specifically the smell of my bathtub.”

With her eyes showing a threatening glare, she raised up the hand she used to shake Barack’s hand and sniffed it a bit — confirming vagues of Esmeralda’s scent on it, mostly the distinctive bathroom smell.

“She’s down there?” She took a glance over at the trapdoor leading to the Adventure Guild’s basement, where Barack just walked out of. “I’ll be glad if we can have her back.”

clank

Barack took no time for negotiation; he quickly reach his arm towards to try and apprehend her — in which Mei react by spawning in her wooden staff and block him, when the two contacts it made a metal sound, suggesting Barack’s wearing some kind of iron bracelet, dagger inside his sleeves or he’s Bucky Barnes.

“So that’s a no?” Mei asked, trying to distract Barack from the fact that she’s focusing up her magic.

The whole Adventure Guild watch in confusion, as an innocent looking girl is clashing with a high-ranking SSS. Alize, the girl with a bow on her back doesn’t even bother to help her teammate, she just crosses her arm and silently watches.

“Fireball.” Mei whispered, without even looking at her mouth — her eyes showed an obvious smirk.

A bright red light then appeared on top of her wooden staff aiming point-blank at Barack’s face. Barack himself obviously took notice and forced out a big punch at her staff, forcing the staff to aim upwards to the ceiling.

boosh

crash

boom

The powerful fireball flew upwards into the roof, perfectly destroying a part of the ceiling in a circle which was the fireball’s shape, a ball. The thing then explodes mid air like a firework, causing some cracks or fire remnants still remained and floating downwards onto the street nearby.

Now it’s left of Mei and Barack to duel by hand-to-hand combat. As staff and iron clashed, kicks and lethal elbow blows were given out, no one has managed to take a single drop of blood yet — Mei noticed how Barack is a well-known SSS for his magic ability usage, yet he hasn’t used anything and is still taking the upper hand.

“Hey, can you two not- woah.”

“Stay back people, one warning.”

Some adventurers took concern and tried to separate these two fighting lovebirds from each other, but they were immediately stopped by Alize; who spawned in a sword made out of pure water to confront them.

Barack took a glimpse of the basement’s trapdoor, which Nea is poking her little head out. With those same half sleepy bored eyes; she clapped and cheered while watching as if this was a stage drama or a musical concert. If she’s not guarding the dragon then Don must be, which he won’t complain.

“What are you looking at?” Mei saw an opening when Barack’s mind was off the duel, she took this opportunity to hold her staff tight and use another magic, this time she used a fire spell to heats up the staff and swung it towards Barack’s face, giving him a hot blow.

“Just to end this.”  Barack said, turned around immediately to grab Mei’s staff near where she was holding it. Mei then struggled to hold the staff and used her other hand to try and counter-attack, but that punch got pushed away by Barack; who grabbed her wrist.

With it boiling down to only raw strength, the two struggle deciding whoever would get the hot staff right into their face.

“If you stop struggling it won’t be as painful.” Barack said, still not using any magic on his part.

“As if I want a scar on my face!” Mei tried to kick him, but his stance was too tough for her to knock him out of his balance.

Some adventurers nearby took concern of this situation but didn’t want to get involved in the SSS’s business, so most of them already left, leaving some edgy/daddy issue weirdos to sit and watch while sipping tea. One of which is Nea, who is weirdly calm unless Alize who’s on a high alert in case if Barack loses. Meanwhile, Don is bored to death down there, poking Esmeralda’s non scaled skin

“Huh?”

“Hum?”

Everyone in the room felt as if something dangerous was approaching.

crack

A small light pierced through the Adventure Guild building’s front.

sizzles

BOOM

The light exploded, causing a great destruction to the building as a whole, the second floor collapsed in which Mei and Barack back off from each other to dodge the wreckage falling down — with Mei being the winner of “who gets to keep the staff.” fight.

“What took you?” Mei said, running towards a group of people, also the source of the explosion.

“Well, Rina took a while, sources said she was munching on apples in the forest.” Pearl said, his staff is still giving out smokes, it must be him who caused the explosion.

“I haven’t eaten anything since noon, give me a break.”

The four stood side by side. On the other side of the wreckage, the four of the high-ranking SSS also began taking stances and analyzing the situation.

One swordsman (Marc), one archer (Rina), two mages (Pearl/Mei).
versus
One mage (Barack), one archer (Alize), two unknowns (Don/Nea).

“Mei, you found Vel?” Marc asked, looking straight at the four opposing them.

“The tall guy in a beret attacked me the moment I mentioned her, as well as there is Es’s smell on his hand. I’m guessing she’s in the basement, aka the adventurer’s detention room.”

On the other side…

“What do we have on them?” Don asked, crossing his arm in front of his chest, really showed how buff he is, yet he doesn’t seem to be a brawler.

“They’re not amateurs, judging by how even a young mage is somewhat trained in hand combat, don’t get cocky. We’re doing the Separated and Gathering formation.” Barack said, looking at Mei, who he had just duelled.

“Roger” The rest three nods.

Execution, begin.