I stand at the same place that Lena and Roy found me an open area where the path seems to abruptly end. Unable to believe what is going on I pause for a moment… is there a giant sign that lights up saying “Hey guys, he’s here!” or something? What are the chances of being caught twice in the same exact spot…? While I was thinking I hear something hit the ground and look over.

There’s a man fully armored from head to toe giving off a dangerous vibe… I might be in trouble. The man has what looks like a lance behind him and several swords attached to him, every fiber of my being is telling me this man can kill me if I screw this up.

“Ah, my apologies Sir. I had gotten lost and was taking the path through the forest as a shortcut.”

I’m going to have to tell him the least amount of information and build my story around his reactions… I don’t have enough information on what is going on outside the forest. That and I can’t bring up Lena and Roy since it might endanger them. Why me...

(Man) “Boy, do you even know where you are… no sane person would travel through this forest.”

Well then… this is marked as dangerous territory… not a good start.

“Sir, I had fallen asleep behind a merchant’s caravan and am trying to travel back home… I am unaware of where I am. I only just know  the direction I must travel to go home.”

The man seems to think for a moment and raised his eyebrow in suspicion… crap, where did I go wrong?

(Man) “Tell me the truth, there aren’t any Human settlements for a week on horseback. And no merchant would let a boy like you run through here.”

Well that was unexpected… since there was the fear of Humans invading the Elf territory I had figured there was a settlement nearby… What do I do now, he’s getting more doubtful by the second.

“What about you Sir? If this place is as dangerous as you say, then why are you here? Also, where are my manners, I am called Kurogane.”

The man folds his arms and processes the situation before telling me.

(Man) “My name is Harvey, I’m an Adventurer sent by the Guild to check on local Dragon’s Nest. Now answer my question Kurogane… What is a small child doing in a location known to be a Dragon’s Nest…”

Ah crap… he’s looking for me, should I run? No, he’ll catch me and I can’t go back to get help from the Elves… should I change my story or continue on…

“I am truly here just going back home Sir Harvey. My parents were killed nearby and I was left with nothing but the clothes on my back and these wooden swords. I have been living off the forest’s outskirts for the last couple weeks and was unaware that this was a Dragon’s Nest.”

Thinking about it… what kind of idiot would believe a story like that… oh we have an idiot here aaand he’s crying.

(Harvey) “Poor Kid, *sniff* Life just ain’t fair sometimes.”

While Harvey was sobbing I notice a Killer Bunny of Doom sneaking up on him and dash forward to attack it. Harvey steps back in surprise, he probably thinks I was going to attack him until I ran past him and knocked the monster into a tree with a kick. Just to be safe I strike it it’s exposed stomach and head knocking it unconscious.

(Harvey) “Thanks for that kid, I can see how you made it so long. What about I escort you out after I check the nest?”

I’ll have to oblige him… I don’t want to raise suspicion. Before we depart though, Harvey looks over to me and grabs a short sword... And hands it to me?

(Harvey) “Here, take this. It was given to me by a Dwarven acquaintance of mine. Well made, but I think it’s better suited for you.”

I take the sword and unsheathe it and look at the blade, it’s slightly curved and has a blue sheen to it. Taking a good look at the sword it reminds me more of a wakizashi then a short sword honestly which is perfect for me. The blade looks sharp and compared to my size right now it’s actually longer than the wooden swords I have right now.

“Is it ok Harvey? This is definitely a good blade…”

To give a strange child you met randomly a sword like this. To me is just unthinkable I have no idea what he’s thinking. We’ve known each other for what? A few minutes!? What if I tried to kill him with it!

(Harvey) “Ha! Of course it’s ok Kurogane! You’ll make better use of it then me, I just have that feeling.”

Harvey just laughs and guides me straight to the waterfall I was born. So he did know where I was born… Just imagining what could have happened if I wasn’t found by Roy and Lena sends a shiver down my spine. Following Harvey’s lead we enter the cave and see the Egg I was born from… was it always that small? I mean I am probably the size of a 10 year old child now and it’s about half my size?

(Harvey) “Looks like the dragon was born a while ago… only one egg again this time. Doesn’t seem like there has been any trouble reported in the area so maybe the child will be ok. There’s also no sign of anything large enough to kill a dragon whelp.”

Giving a stern nod Harvey leads me outside of the cave refilling his water canteen and begins to lead me outside. He was very chatty on the way and there was something interesting he brought up. Initially Harvey had suspected me of being a dragon whelp. But after he got a better look at me he dismissed the notion. I wonder why… should I ask him? It would be useful to get some more information on Dragons since there were almost no books about them brought by Lena other than the occasional story book.

“Harvey, you said after you took a good look at me you ruled out me being a dragon. Why was that?”

What do I have to lose, I can just pass my question off as a curious inquiry. Pausing for a moment Harvey turns around with a smile and tells me why.

(Harvey) “First off Kurogane, us Humans have 5 fingers and toes right?”

I think to myself... Well yea, of course they do.  I mean how many fingers would you… Wait… As a dragon I only have 4 “fingers” having this revelation I turn to Harvey and ask him

“Yes… Do the dragons think otherwise?”

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Harvey looks like he’s enjoying himself and tells me.

(Harvey) “Correct! Dragon’s only have 4 fingers and once they reach a certain age they can transform into other creatures. This includes Humans, but they only usually examine humans from a distance and don’t notice the fact that we have one more finger. Not only this the eyes are key.”

The… eyes?

(Harvey) “Younger Dragons don’t usually notice the fact that Human eyes and Dragon eyes are different.”

That’s right… my eyes as a dragon I think looked more like a cat's, probably why I can see well in the dark.

“Is there anything else Harvey that stands out?”

We’ve already gone quite a distance and I might as well get as much information as I can while I still can right? After I ask him Harvey pauses for a moment and thinks.

(Harvey) “Ah yes, there are cases of that too aren’t there…”

Hearing him say this it piques my interest.

(Harvey) “Depending on the type of dragon they have different colored scales; Flame Dragons are usually red or orange. What else… the Azure Dragons are usually blue… some Shadow Dragons are purple…”

Why is he color coding dragons…?

(Harvey) “I’ve heard of green colored dragons too… I forget what kind they are. Anyways the color of the scales becomes their hair color, and several of those colors aren’t natural human colors.”

That makes sense… wait there are no red heads? And my scales are black… am I really a dragon? He didn’t list the color black…

“Harvey, I have a question.”

He just turns around and smiles at me.

(Harvey) “Quite the inquisitive youngster aren’t you! Go on ask me anything I’ll answer everything I can.”

“Are there dragons who have scales the same color as a human’s hair?”

Harvey just laughs and points at my head making me flinch for a moment. Oh great... did I step on a landmine without knowing it?!

(Harvey) “That’s right kid! There are some with the same black color as yours. There are even some with the same as  mine.”

He then lifts up his helmet and his hair is red… Wait didn’t he say that it’s not a natural color?!

“Uh… wait... didn’t you say red isn’t a natural hair color… wouldn’t that make you a dragon!”

I step back and try to look as shocked as possible. Harvey then thinks back for a moment and tells me

(Harvey) “Ah that’s right I did list red didn’t I! That was my fault Kurogane!”

He just laughs it off.  This guy might be a bit of an airhead, thankfully. Either that or I’m a damn good actor… I’m willing to bet against the later.

While Harvey and I were traveling we ran into a few doom bunnies and I was given a chance to try out the sword that was given to me. I have to admit the sharpness is amazing! It’s like cutting through butter with a hot knife, and it’s balanced well making it easy to swing.

I could go on for days about how perfect I think it is and how if it was a woman, I’d marry it but I shall refrain. The main points are the blade is curved which is what I’m used to, best for slashing and it seems to be the perfect size.

At least right now it’s long enough for me to use as my attacking sword but in the future hopefully I can grow enough for it to be the right size for my defending hand… I’d hate for such a nice sword to go to waste. During the fights though, I’ve confirmed… I’m MUCH stronger than I was before. Even though I’ve been holding back to not bring Harvey’s attention to me.

(Harvey) “Kurogane… I need to talk to you about something before we part ways.”

Huh? Part ways…? I look around and notice that there we have exited the forest. He doesn’t want his sword back does he!? I step back and cover my new sword that I have strapped behind me with my hands.

“I’m not giving it back Harvey! It’s mine now!”

If he takes this back who knows if I’ll ever find a sword this good! Harvey looks at my face and bursts out laughing.

(Harvey) “Hahaha, no Kurogane I don’t want the sword back. Like I thought, it’d be better in your hands than mine. Watching you today confirmed that. Now, what I wanted to talk about was traveling with me and joining the Guild. You’ll definitely make a name for yourself when you grow up I can tell.”

Thinking for a moment, all I can think about is Lena and Roy… If I hadn’t met them first then I would have jumped at the offer but now I just want to watch over those two.

“I’m sorry Harvey, but I’ll have to decline.”

Maybe in the future but right now I feel like it’d be better to be there for those two.

(Harvey) “I see… If you change your mind find a branch of the Adventurer’s Guild. Just tell them to send a letter to Harvey and I’ll come looking for you. Oh, and this is for you. You won’t get far without this if you want to get back into civilization.”

Harvey reaches behind him and pulls out a small pouch and hands it to me. I open the bag and see coins of different kinds most look like they are made of copper a few silver and a gold coin. I thank Harvey and we part ways using hunting for dinner as an excuse.

I made sure not to go too far into the forest until I couldn’t see Harvey’s silhouette, by then the sun looked like it was going to set in an hour or so? My internal clock was never very good. Either way I have a lot of ground to cover and start running into the forest taking as direct of a path as possible.  That was until a blue object caught my eye and I stopped to take a look at it out of curiosity.