They had finally made it. Tesktar was within reach, and potentially smooth sailing from there.

Benjamin was prepared to enter a town this time. Alongside his magic lessons, he made a point of requesting more help with reading in the past couple of nights. As long as it was to further his goals, the dragon didn’t seem to mind devoting an additional hour to it. He also had money and more fitting clothing, which would certainly make him blend in better.

But before he could leave, a large hand was placed in front of him. “Tsk tsk, did I say you were to leave just yet?” Kinsoriel asked, waiting for an answer.

Suppressing the urge to express his annoyance, Benjamin faced his main character. “No, you didn’t, my bad.”

“You aren’t bad little servant-to-be,” the dragon corrected, “you are merely ignorant, and I can fix that. Pocket.” He raised the blocking hand and traced along the air, thrusting it into the opening after.

Ben couldn’t help but make a face at being called ignorant. Luckily, his “master” wasn’t looking his way as he did.

“There we are,” Kinsoriel said to himself as he pulled out a book, “this will do just fine.” Placing a claw to the cover, it began to glow with magical light. “Inanimate Senses.” As he said this, the glow burst outwards with a pop. Aside from the light show, nothing else seemed to happen.

“Take this with you.” Dropping the book into Benjamin’s waiting hands, he then shooed him off. “Now you may leave.”

Stupefied at what just happened, Ben asked “What was that spell for?”

“As you know, I won’t be going near deathbound nests. That spell will allow me to observe anything near the object it is used on, so keep it in view if you would.” He peered a bit closer and gave a more serious look. “I’d have to assume the worst if it suddenly went dark after all.”

Unsubtle hint taken. With the book in hand, Benjamin separated and started to venture towards Tesktar.

They could afford to get a bit closer since it was on the smaller end of towns, especially when compared to Ferroes. That meant only half an hour of solo walking this time around. It felt nice to have a bit of time to himself, even if he was technically being watched.

Crossing the threshold of the forest, the outer walls came into view. It shared many of the same general structures he saw previously, but less grand overall. Smaller ramparts, less traffic, fewer attractions. None of that mattered to him, however.

This place would be the temporary home to Alister in the regular events of the story, who would be the last addition to the cast. Getting him now might be breaking the script some, but it was his best bet to get Kinsoriel interacting with Nela’s group. He’d also be the one to eventually help fix Kinsoriel’s ‘curse’, so it wasn’t like he was lying to the dragon either.

Thinking about lying and his main character together made Ben absentmindedly glance down at the book. It was titled ‘Divines, Watch Over Me’, and had symbols of the pantheon emblazoned on the cover. In the middle of them was a dragon eye. This portion in particular was unnerving, given what he knew of the book’s purpose. He decided to look away so as to not draw attention. His mind may have been playing tricks on him because he could almost swear he saw the eye blink as he looked away.

Luckily for him, he would soon be occupying his thoughts with something other than another unseen observer. The gate guards gave him no trouble this time around. Whether due to the town’s smaller size or because he had a more appropriate look, he didn’t know. He wasn't going to be complaining.

Making his way to the heroes guild, Benjamin fought the urge to do any shopping. While he now had the money to buy something, his actions being monitored meant he was still on the clock, so to speak. An ever-present frown sat on his brow, strengthened by every shop window he passed. Convincing himself that they would be of a lesser quality since this was a small town helped him cope.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Imposed frugality and sour grapes aside, he was soon at the entrance of the guild. His average at best arms strained to open the heavy doors, though they eventually gave way, allowing him to step in. The place was more akin to the tavern of an inn than a place of business. There were plenty of groups here and there happily drinking ale and talking amongst themselves. At least this casual atmosphere would help keep a low profile.

He walked around the locale while keeping an eye out for the wizard. It shouldn't be too hard to spot someone like him, he does stand out quite a bit. Having a beard and gigantic hat would make finding him in a crowd childsplay, and the only people with purple eyes are those that have used magic for years and years.

Despite that, he still wasn't able to find him anywhere. The other patrons would likely get suspicious if he kept wandering around, so he needed to change tactics.

Going up to the counter of one of the registrars as naturally as he could, Ben gave a smile. “Hello miss, I’m looking for someone.”

The one he came up to, a middle-aged woman with more wrinkles than she should have, didn’t look pleased. “Please take any requests to the quest arranger over there.” She pointed a finger to her right at a younger woman, who had a long line going.

“Let me rephrase that then. I’m trying to find someone in particular, Alister Gethrold.”

The registrar nodded with a slightly more engaged attitude, kneeling to pick up something from behind the counter. With a bit of effort, she hefted a large register out, flipping between the pages.

“Gethrold you said?” she asked to confirm, simultaneously putting on a pair of reading glasses. Benjamin nodded. Going down the list of names in the Ge- section, she eventually stopped on an entry.

“Alister Gethrold, senior researcher for the guild's magic division,” she looked back up to Benjamin, “put in a transfer yesterday afternoon.”

What? “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that?”

Benjamin felt himself start to clench at the book as those same words fell from the Registrar’s mouth. “Mr. Gethrold transferred out yesterday.” Kinsoriel wasn’t going to like this…

“D-does it say where he transferred?” Benjamin asked, hoping for a break.

Without skipping a beat, she dropped another bombshell on him. “Nothing specific yet, it just says ‘the continent of Dewn’. It should be updated within a month of his next check in at one of the guild locations there. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Oh, Kinsoriel really wasn’t going to like this. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. “No, that’ll do it for me. Have a nice rest of your day, miss.”

Left with nothing to show after a week of traveling, Benjamin didn’t look forward to what would be waiting for him when he got back. A lingering dread followed him as he started his return. The book nestled underneath his arm felt heavy.

There was still some time to think of what he would say before he was in front of the dragon. He passed the gates. Nothing. He tread the trail. Nothing. He walked, and he walked. Nothing. By the time he was stood in front of his main character, he still didn't have the slightest idea of what he should say.

But instead of the blistering fury he had expected, Kinsoriel was calm. Eerily so.

Not sure of how to start, Benjamin stepped forward and presented the book he had been given. It was picked up gingerly by the dragon’s claws, getting stowed away in the Pocket spell a moment later. An uncomfortable feeling permeated the air between them.

“You heard what she said, right?” Benjamin finally managed to squeeze out.

Kinsoriel sighed heavily, saying, “Yes, I did.”

“And you aren’t mad about that?”

The dragon grumbled for a moment. “I never said anything of the sort. This journey continues even further, and it frustrates me to no end. But,” he then unfurled his wings majestically, “I find it best to look on the brighter side of things.”

The membrane of his wings had fully healed, leaving behind no scars or blemishes. It was as if they had never been damaged in the first place. Their owner beamed as Benjamin looked on.

“Whoa, your wings,” the ex-author marveled at the sight, “they’ve already healed?”

“Indeed they have,” Kinsoriel said as he flexed them around, “and I hope you grasp what that means.”

Ben could guess what was implied but had the answer given to him in case he didn’t. Kinsoriel’s hand lay open on the ground, waiting for him. A knot started forming in his stomach, but he stepped forward anyway. This earned him an appreciative chuff from above.

“See? There’s an improvement already. You’ll be fit to serve me in no time.”

With those words, the claws closed around Benjamin securely. “Dewn will be a longer trip, so try not to faint.”

Wind scattered before the powerful beats of his wings, kicking up dust and debris aplenty. They slowly lifted higher and higher from the ground. Once at a high enough altitude, Kinsoriel took off, slower this time around. Maybe his wings weren’t completely ready just yet.

There weren’t any complaints from Benjamin though. The wind chill was much easier to deal with this way anyhow.

Land passed by quickly beneath them. A few more towns dotted the landscape here and there, and soon the coastline was in sight. Next stop, Dewn.