Chapter 4

"Your name is Landon, right?" Damian asked finally. The Dragon made a reptilian noise of acknowledgement.

"I want to ask you something," Damian declared. "A couple of things if that's alright with you," he amended.

The Dragon glared at him but gave no indication he was opposed to the idea of being questioned.

"Surely you have better things to do than attack this area, the people tell me that before there was mutual respect between the two of you."Damian noted.

"I Want What Is Rightfully Mine To Be Found! Mutual Respect be Damned! Much like These People For Cahorting With A Thief!" Landon roared.

Nico looked at him "are you actually talking to the Dragon? Without any spells? That's dangerous you should stop-"

Damian looked at him confused, "spells?"

Nico stared at Damian a bit too harshly and the other flinched.

"Right the important matter at hand." he muttered, "This thing you're looking for, what is it exactly," Damian asked the Dragon repositioning the sword so it was in front of him. Nico looked at the sword faintly glowing somewhat. 'The sword does have magical abilities. Perhaps it's acting as a path for them to communicate.'

"If it's within my capabilities I'll find it for you and return it to you. Without damaging the entire area," Damian proposed.

Nico didn't quite catch Landon's response but Damian responded verbally all the same.

"I'm sure whoever the guilty party is will be brought forth. But the innocents don't also have to suffer for their actions," Damian decided. Arthorias blinked he, like most everyone else could only hear one side of the conversation.

"There's one last thing I want to ask you, but it's not related to the conflict here," Damian remarked.

Arthorias looked confused. "What? Why would he risk his life for something he can ask a seer or-"

Nico put a finger to his lips gesturing him to hush.

"I would like to ask you, in this world, is there such a thing as changing one's fate? Or rewriting someone's predetermined idea of your own future?" Damian asked

Nico looked sympathetic with understanding, while Lotte just looked guilty. Arthorias looked even more confused.

"I Shall Answer Your Question When You Have Retrieved What I Requested, Or Do You Plan To Not Honor Your Word?" Landon asked.

"Oh-- I see," he sounded a tad disappointed.

"That's a fair trade. All the more incentive to find that important eg- thing of yours," he nodded understandably. With a great beat of his wings Landon disappeared, having flown off as he chose to agree to the request. Arthorias looked disappointed.

The battle over, Damian sulked at getting involved. It was the one thing he was majorly good at.

"I never want to do that again," he groaned.

"Still it's impressive that the sword gives you the ability to understand dragons," Nico said

Damian stopped and put a hand to his head, groaning slightly. Nico froze, alarm bells ringing in his head. 'I smell blood'.

"Damian are you alright?" He asked looking at his friend.

Damian looked up, a confused expression on his face and a serious looking nosebleed that wasn't there a minute ago.

"Ah--" he pitched forward, Nico being the closest acted first.

Lotte startled. "Damian?!"

"Tch! Must be the overload of information,"Nico said catching Damian as he passed out. The sword clanged loudly on the ground and a light purple barrier appeared warding off Arthorias who tried to grab it.

"Damian has a really high pain tolerance from all the middle and high school clubs he was in. I know this and yet, I'm still surprised he didn't say anything," Lotte explained waving her wand frantically in a zigzag motion down his face. The sparkles glowed faintly and began to heal him. Damian looked dazed and still out of it but at least his nosebleed stopped right away.

"The damage isn't severe he looks to still be breathing." Arthorias commented.

"Yet there are still dangers even with the precautionary spells and potions in place to keep the mind from melting at the sheer power."

"Arthorias ...?" Nico asked. "Oh that's right, you're a knight. Something like the knowledge of the effects of orcs, trolls, and dragons are common for you." Nico commented.

"I've seen the bad end of people who have communicated with dragons and it is much more horrendous," Arthorias explained straightening further. If his posture was any more rigid he'd be a wooden board. The sword at his side clanging slightly against the barrel behind him.

'Although I do not know Damian as you do, I would advise you to insist he take precautions. It would be unfortunate for you to have to bury a friend," Arthorias commented darkly as he left the room.

Nico looked at Damian, concern leaking through his normally composed facial features.

Damian as if feeling the gaze slowly opened his eyes.

"We need to find a dragon egg before the end of the week. It should have a oval pendant on it,"

Nico furrowed an eyebrow skeptically, "The end of the week is in three days,"

"I know but Landon told me Dragon eggs can only be without the parent for so long. We only have three days because the egg has already been away from it's parents for a week." Damian remarked standing up and wobbling unsteadily for a few seconds from the effort.

Nico grabbed his arm to hold him upright.

"Where's Lott-" Damian started to ask.

"she's downstairs probably destroying the kitchen to make breakfast." Nico explained.

"Nico ... Did you change clothes," Damian asked. The purple and white clothes looked different. Less like someone on their way to a formal event and more like combat gear.

"Oh yes, I figured if I'm going to be accompaning you on your travels, I should dress for it. I also washed yours while you were out." Nico responded handing him the clothes he wore yesterday.

"Thanks Nico," Damian responded.

He put on his white school uniform shirt and rebuttoned it.

"Let's go and get breakfast, we can plan out the search that way," Nico suggested.

"Village of Seoul-Mundele..? It's not very big so it's probably best we enlist the help of the villagers themselves. That way we don't have to ransack the people's houses." Damian rested his head on his hand as he mulled over the map Nico placed in front of him. The map covered the entirety of the city state Montonui. But by focusing on specifically the village it was easier to process the search.

"I've done patrol on these locations along with a few other knights; no one has actively done anything suspicious." Arthorias added pointing at several of the other villages arranged in a hexagon shape around the three in the center.

"So we know that at a minimum no one has recently been in a nearby village they don't live in," Damian remarked and ran a hand through his hair.

"that narrows it down," Nico nodded.

"It seems like the dragon attacks are recent, and I've only just come to this town myself..." Arthorias said thoughtfully.

"Could a knight take the egg?" Nico asked.

"What an absurd question! Dragon eggs have no value to knights. The skin on baby dragons can't be used for armor, it's too taxing and consuming to train them. Dragons do not take kindly to having riders no matter how docile. Even the dimmest ones see it as a insult to their pride or something along that nature. Perhaps if they chose to sell them but knights --We're paid handsomely for our services there's really no want for additional money. It's unlikely that a knight would pull off such a reckless deed" Arthorias refuted.

"Hmmm do not likely to be a member of the knight class... hey...Nico where's your family? Parents or relatives?" Damian asked curiously, surprised that they hadn't tried to introduce themselves to him.

"Oh my adoptive parents? they're on a trip and we should leave before they return," Nico said with forced neutrality.

Damian was about to ask about the tone but was interrupted by Lotte bursting back inside.

"I did the favor of asking the villagers to be on the lookout for a egg with a pendant like you said." Lotte announced confidently.

"That's good Lotte," Damian remarked noting she had a pale red, short sleeve jumperskirt with flower embroidery. Though he didn't recognize the flowers. Lotte being her usual energetic self stepped around something and threw dried leaves at Arthorias. Specifically aiming for his blonde hair. The frantic and startled act of brushing the leaves away sent her into a fist of giggles.

"Let's go ask around how the search is coming in a while." Nico looked at what Lotte stepped around and saw the Sword of Destiny. The barrier still remained and he grimaced. 'I was hoping someone had left that outside.'

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"I see we're back in the part of the village of this city state that we started in," Damian commented recognizing some of the houses.

He looked to his right and saw what he expected. 'The church where I saw Morgan le Fae.' Nico was with them the first time so that gave them premise to enter the the place uninvited, without knocking.

The villagers happily contributed looking around in their homes for surprises that didn't belong. At the Leader request in places of warmth.

Some even looking among their gardens and farm crops for it.

At sunset Damian brought his idea to the others.

"What if while you guys look around, I'll ask Morgan if there's a way to locate dragon eggs or if she has it?" He suggested, finger pointing behind him at the old church building. The stain glass glinting beautifully in the evening light.

Arthorias stood ready. "I will accompany you," he decided.

Nico held up a hand cast an enchantment. The effect showered them with magenta colored sparkles that promptly faded. "If she tries anything the charm on you two should activate and summon a barrier. I'll teleport and come to your defense." Nico promised

"You expecting a fight?"

Nico shook his head "No. It's Morgan le Fae. Even she has more tact. However nothing wrong with being cautious. Especially considering last time," he remarked darkly.

Damian figured that unlike Nico he didn't have the immunity of doing as he pleased and should act with manners. He knocked on the door. Arthorias looked at the direction of the setting sun. No response.

Damian gulped nervously. He didn't know much about Morgan, she just rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. But he pushed open the door into the candlelit church clearly no one frequented much anymore.

"Hello? Miss Morgan? We don't mean to bother you. We just want to ask about dragon eggs and how to locate them," Damian called.