Chapter 3
Guildmaster Charlie
As I drive I keep half an eye on my passenger. He is currently purring while daintily eating the donut holes I got for him. It’s hard to see him as anything but a child but I know that behind those eyes lives someone who has lived an unknown number of years. I suppose it is possible that they were a child in their past life, but it’s just as possible that they could have been an old man well into their nineties. I’ll have to ask if they ever figure out how to talk or when communication has been established by other means. Their front paws look human like maybe a text to speech device wouldn’t be remiss, or maybe if he’s able to support the cost a translation amulet could work. That is it will work if he speaks a language at all, but whos to say all these little noises he makes aren’t a language. I mean there does seem to be a pattern to all the little growls, grunts, and tiny roars he makes, so maybe it’s a language after all.
It doesn't feel like long at all before we arrive at the local chapterhouse for the AA. It almost looks like a castle and for good reason. It is the fallback point incase of monsters invading the town. There is an emergency bunker under the main building. It looks like a castle because of how many adventures use medieval weaponry.
After being lost in thought for a moment I get out of the car and go to the other side to pick up Rex. He must already know what I’m here for as he is sitting up on his back legs, with his tail wrapped around them, and is holding his front limbs up, looking for all the world like a baby asking to be picked up.
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Guild receptionist Martha
It's a bit of a slow day, and I’m sitting bored at my desk, when in walks the guildmaster carrying a lizard of some kind in her arms. Other than me the first to notice is Obrick who leaves his table to go up to her and asks “Hey boss did you get a familiar or something?”
“No this here is Rex, he is a new Primogenter, and is currently unable to speak. Note that doesn't make him any less of a person and does not excuse us from our duty of protecting and housing him.” She takes a moment to look around the room then asks “Is that understood?” to a round of nods and affirmations.
After she made her declaration she starts walking in my direction. She glances at my nametag before saying “Martha I need you to take Rex here to an empty room so that he can get some sleep. He has had a rather eventful day and I can feel him starting to doze off.” She’s right too. I can see him nodding off. He keeps falling asleep then his head starts to droop and his head shoots back up. She holds him out to me and after grabbing a key from under the desk I take him into my arms with his head cradled in the crook of my arm. Now that I can see him up close he looks to be a tiny dragon of some kind at least going by the wings. He’s cute too.
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Rex Vitae
I don’t remember much after stopping at the guildhouse. I was pretty tuckered out after the day I had and remember falling asleep in someone's arms. Now I’m waking up in what appears to be a bed that is much too big for me. Looking around the room I see it’s a small dorm style room with only a bed, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. The room is still massive compared to me.
Honestly looking at the door I don’t know how they expect me to open it. Maybe now would be a good time to try out my shapeshifting specialization. According to my ancestral memories I should be able to turn into things I am either familiar enough with or have observed for a period of time based on what I want to shapeshift into. Considering that I used to be a human I would hope that counts for both requirements. I focus and close my eyes. Soon I can feel my body shifting and I open my eyes to see that I was partially successful. I managed to turn myself into a human but I’m a toddler. A naked toddler with horns sweeping back along the side of my head, and a long prehensile tail. Apparently with practice I’ll be able to perform a more perfect transformation, as well as changing my physical age.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
While I’m looking down at myself there is a knock at the door. I guess they never expected me to open the door. I decide to try talking to see if I can now speak English and mangege to say in a youthful voice “Come in.” Of course I quickly hide my lower half under the blanket.
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Martha
I pause at hearing the voice of a small child. I double check the room number and see it’s the same room I put Rex to sleep in. So how do I hear English from the other side? I turn the doorknob to see a kid with blue green hair and horns partially hiding under the blanket of the bed. “Rex is that you?”
“Um yeah I figured out how to take human form. Uh before we move on can I please get some clothes?” His face reddens when he asks this.
“For now can you turn back into your true form so that you can have breakfast? Unfortunately we don’t have any clothes in your size in the guild but I can send someone out to get some while we eat.”
“Ok but before I turn back can you tell me who you are? I don’t remember much from after I went into the main building. I think I fell asleep.” Saying this he drops his head. He is so cute when he’s embarrassed.
“I’m Martha, I’ve volunteered to take care of you for now. At least until you can take care of yourself.” After introducing myself he scrunches his face up in concentration and starts to shift back into a dragon. It’s actually quite interesting to watch and a bit disturbing.
Soon he’s fully back to being a house cat sized dragon and I pick him up to start heading to the reception/mess hall. For some reason the PR division insists that people should eat in full view of the public, something about making us seem more human or something. Once we are there I flag down a cadet to get the clothes. He gives me a weird look but runs off to go to the store. Since it’s morning a lot of the cleaning crews are out hunting monsters and the place is pretty empty with only those who have other tasks and the administrative branch behind.
I go and grab a couple of menus and set one in front of Rex. “Just point at what you want to eat and I’ll order it for you.” After saying this I check my menu to see what they have for today.
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Rex Vitae
Checking over the menu I see the cheapest item on the menu is goblin steak served with mashed potato and slime jello. The most expensive is hydra steak served with mandrake leaf salad. All the meals on the menu are monster based. In the end I decide on the goblin steak as my ancestral memories say I couldn’t fully process all the energy I’d get from the other menu items. Apparently you can get more mana from eating monsters and the stronger the more mana you can get.
When I point at the first item on the menu Martha says “Are you sure that’s what you want? I know it’s the cheapest option but you are a guest and all your living expenses are covered as far as the guild is concerned.” I nod my head and she says “If you are sure then I won’t stop you.”
She flags down a waiter and places our order. It’s not a long wait for our food after that. When the waiter returns with our food I catch a whiff of it and it smells heavenly. I wasn’t paying attention to what she ordered but hers looks to be some kind of red fish. Mine is a green steak, with mashed potatoes and a blue jello to the side. I sit on my hind legs and grab a spoon to start shoveling the mashed potatoes into my mouth. When I picked up my silverware I heard a muffled laugh but when I looked I saw a man very pointedly not looking this way. I hear another laugh when I grab a knife and fork to cut my steak but this time I ignore it.