Chapter 4

Martha

Watching Rex eat was really cute. I could watch that all day, but I think it’s about time for him to get some exercise. Plus some fresh air should do him some good. “Hey Rex is there anything you would like to do?” He looks thoughtful for a moment then starts to move his arms like he’s swimming. Just to be sure I ask “You want to go swimming?” He nods and I say “Well you have two options we could go to the pool, or we could go to the lake.” He raises his hand with two fingers showing. Guess we’re going to the lake.

He looks so excited but I have to tell him to wait. “First we will wait until your clothes arrives. Then we have to get bodyguards just in case someone decides that you are a monster or we run into a real one. I’m not exactly a fighter myself and you are the only one of your kind. We can’t afford to lose you.” At this some of his excitement melts away but he is still exited enough to be practically vibrating.

This is the scene the cadet walks in on. “Ma’am I got the childrens clothes you asked me to get for you.” I thank him and he sets the package on the table before looking at the bouncing Rex and saying “Ma’am that’s the new primogenter right?” After I nod he continues with “Well could you tell me what has him so excited? He looks like a kid in a candy store.”

“Well we are going to the lake, but honestly I think he just needs to burn off some energy. He has been cooped up since he hatched after all.” After answering his question I dismiss him and he goes back to whatever he was doing before I asked him to get the clothes.

I pick up the package and head over to the reception desk. “Excuse me Mark, can you post a message on the quest board? Rex wants to go swimming at the lake and we are going to need bodyguards.” The quest board is an app that the guild uses to put up missions with rewards for adventures. It lets adventures know what the job entails and what the pay is. Since Rex is a VIP of the AA the reward is paid out of the guild’s coffer.

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Obrick

I’m taking it easy today, but I do need to do some work. I’ve been saving up to buy a house. I only need about 300$ more to make the down payment. I need a bit of a break though. I think I’ll just find a nice easy task even if it doesn’t pay as well as hunting monsters in the wilderness, or caravan guard duty. Looking through the quest board app on my phone I see a new quest popup and it pays well but is a short term guarding mission at mermaid lake. I accept the quest as fast as I can, it’s only a four person job, and two of the slots were filled before I managed to hit accept.

The meeting point is right outside of the guild house. So I arrive before any of the other adventures as I was relaxing in my dorm room. Waiting for me there is Martha who was my favorite receptionist and the little dragon from yesterday. As I’m arriving from behind them it’s the dragon who notices me first. Maybe he could smell me. Him turning around attracts the attention of Martha who says “Obrick Your part of the escort today?”

“I’m taking a break from out of town jobs, I need to relax, and this job seemed easy enough. It also helps that the pay is good for a short trip to mermaid lake.” From personal experience there should only be goblins and other weak monsters between the town and the lake.

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This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Rex Vitae

I can barely contain my excitement, as we wait for the rest of my bodyguards to show up. I don’t even know why I’m so excited anyway. Maybe Martha is right and I just need the exercise, but my instincts are practically yelling at me that I need to go to the lake. Probably has something to do with my preferred environment. With my every thought seemingly being twisted back to the lake, I almost don’t notice Martha and Obrick flirting.

Speaking of Obrick he is a large bear of a man of irish descent, with a large two handed battle axe, and armor made of some kind of chitin. I’d hate to see the size of the bugs he must have gotten the chitin from.

While I try to take my mind off the wait by studying Obrick a pair of twins starts to make their way to us. One of them is wielding a bow with a short spear for backup. The other is wielding a staff that to my mana sight seems to be covered in icey mana. I can’t help but notice that both twins have gills and scales on their necks. Aside from the scales and gills they look like perfectly normal human women albeit wearing chainmail. They introduce themselves as Viki and Veronica.

After another five minutes and much impaintiant fidgeting the final person who accepted the quest shows up. It’s the guy who was laughing at me using silverware. He’s wielding a short spear and a kite shield. He’s also decked out in leather armor of some kind. He walks up to me and kneels so that he’s closer to my height and says “Hello little dragon. My name is Hendricks and I’ll make sure you stay safe on your journey.” Considering how polite he’s being I think I’ll forgive him for laughing at me.

Now that everyone who is coming is here Martha speaks up. “Okay time to head out.” And with that said the bodyguards move into a square formation around me and Martha while we start to walk along. Of course Martha quickly picks me up as I start to lag behind.

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Hendricks

I can’t believe my luck not only did I get the last open position for a easy but high paying job, I also get to interact with a real bonafide dragon. I’ve loved dragons since I was a young boy. I always thought it was a shame that the world has magic but not a single dragon. Of course that changed yesterday. Who cares if he’s tiny? He’s still only a baby. I think he will grow to a great size eventually, but for now he’s cute, tiny, and in need of a protector.

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Rex Vitae

Soon after leaving the walled town we were attacked by a pack of five goblins. They didn’t stand a chance. It was an absolute slaughter. The first one to go down had the misfortune of stepping out of cover in front of Obrick and was promptly beheaded. The two to the right were peppard by shards of ice then shot with arrows to their weak points. The two to the left were harried by Hendricks who managed to skewer one before Obrick killed the final one by splitting it in half.

The rest of the trip is uneventful and when we exit the woods to see a sparkling lake surrounded by families and their guards. I can hardly contain myself. With a laugh Martha releases a wiggling me to the ground. Where I immediately run towards the water my guards keeping pace. It’s a good thing they do as several of the families and guards look to tense up at the sight of me before relaxing upon seeing my guards.

Soon I reach the water and it feels like an itch, I didn't know about was scratched. My instincts relax and I start to lower myself into the water. My instincts say that I should be fine but my human memory says I will drown if I try to breathe water. So achingly slowly I go completely under the water and let the air out of my lungs, and breath in water. I’m fine. It's an odd experience but not unpleasant.

As I’m getting used to the sensation I feel arms reach around my stomach and suddenly I’m out of the water, and in Martha's hands. “Are you trying to drown yourself!?!?” Instead of answering this is when I cough out a portion of the water from my lungs and onto Martha further soaking her sweater, which was already wet from her ‘rescue’ of me. If only I could talk in this form then I could tell her that I’m amphibious.

After much pantomiming I manage to get across that I’m fine and that she should let me go. With great reluctance she sets me loose. I decide that until I can explain that I won't drown I’ll keep my head above the water. Should spare her a heart attack.