章節 2: First Time In Dwargon

I woke up. Beyond the entrance of the cave the peaceful lake remained as I left it several days ago.

Thinking about it, even though my form seems most compatible with water, I've never even touched it. I started floating towards it, and not sensing anyone around, most likely because of my unrestrained aura scaring them all, I transformed into my humanoid form, and dismissed my clothes.

They were technically a part of me, so I could remove and put them on with a simple thought. Now at the edge of the lake, I touched the surface with a single toe. It is cold. Undeterred I jumped in with a splash.

While swimming, I could use my tail to go even faster under water. The speed at which I was going was so fast, that big waves started forming at the surface of the lake. I immediately stopped, even though I was having fun, because I didn't want to ruin my lake. Then I heard the same voice that announced my acquisition of the [Human Form] skill.

I can feel the skill and what it does deep in my core. Apparently, it creates or enhances the explosions resulting from my body's impact on an object. It's most effective under water.

While I relaxed, suspended underwater in the middle of the lake, I started thinking of where to explore next.

First of all, no human nations. Not only because of my hatred for them, but also because I can't disguise myself as an actual human, and even if I could, my aura, even only twenty percent, would give me away.

As for the monster nations, the only one that isn't race exclusionary is the Beast Kingdom Eurazania but from what I have seen, when passing close by in the sky, their nation consists of basically vast crop fields and nothing else. Not very interesting.

The Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion would probably have a lot of the knowledge I seek, on both runes and magic, but they wouldn't let me in. Even if they did, they would never let me learn much from them. The last option is to visit the little people up in the northern mountains. From what I've seen, they allow anyone, so I suppose that's where I'm going.

Breaking the surface tension of the water, I leave the lake, completely drenched. Using Aspectual Ice Magic, I channel my magicules and imagine all the water clinging to my body losing heat. Now being frozen instead of soaked, I hit myself in the stomach with my right hand and all of the ice shattered to a fine dust, which was carried by the wind. Now that I'm clean and dry, I summoned my casual clothes and transformed back to my draconic form, flying to the sky, in the direction of the Ameld.

During my flight, I looked down and found the terrified faces of many different monsters, in different primitive villages of different races. The one thing in common between them was the look of despair they all shared.

Their expressions turned confused as I ignored them, and continued my journey to the southwest, where the Ameld river flowed to the domain of Demon Lord Milim Nava. I obviously would never even think of entering the dragonoid's lands. I still remember, maybe a thousand years ago, how she completely obliterated me in a single laser beam.

Hovering a few hundred meters above the river, I looked into the north. I saw various villages surrounding the river on both sides. Apparently there has been a war between east and west Jura for quite a few years. I don't know much about it, as I was dead and elsewhere when it started, but I believe the west started the conflict, trying to conquer the lands to the east.

It's mostly the lizardmen from the Shisu Lake, controlling various villages worth of goblins to attack the dwindling population of serpentfolk who had to ally with the other races of the east.

Since that is now my territory, I have to send a message that it's no longer acceptable to attack the lands past the Ameld. I charge my [Wicked Light Ray], my eye starts shining bright red and I aim at the closest enemy village.

I relish in the desperation carved on the lizardmen's faces, understanding their death sentence, and release the destructive beam. A loud "zoom" sound echoed through the forest and plains, as my red laser blew up more than half of each village I passed through on my way to the north, in the direction of the Armed Nation of Dwargon. The perpetual sound of explosions at the end of the crimson ray was music to my ears.

Unfortunately, the villages up north have mostly been evacuated already, so, when I finished my destruction, one of the things I do best, I land next to the mountains.

After verifying with [Magic Sense] that no one was snooping around, my body transformed back to its humanoid variant. I was still quite far from the entrance, but I wasn't taking any chances at being discovered. My appearance was already suspect enough. I have never seen any other monster or demi-human with a single eye.

At the entrance of Dwargon, a big white stone fortress, with hanging yellow and red banners, was a line of people of various different races, mainly humans, dwarves, goblins, wolves and some ogres, leading to a set of large wooden double doors where they spoke to the dwarven guards and entered.

For some odd reason, there were a lot of dwarves gathering on the outside. Most were wearing armor, and others wore robes. I recognized that iconic clothing as what those who manipulate magic often wear when uselessly flinging spells at me. I thought Dwargon was more of a pacifist nation, but they appear to be preparing for some kind of conflict? It is none of my business, so I continue on my way to the line.

I feel various gazes on me. It could be my unique race characteristics, or the fact that my reduced aura was still at least three times that of each of them but the prospect of being discovered was still uncomfortable.

I know I am strong enough to easily annihilate everyone around me in around four seconds, but I'm not delusional enough to believe myself invincible after dying so many times, sentient or not.

Since the line was not overly long, I got in line, behind a few goblins who immediately straightened up, shivering and didn't dare to say a word in my presence. After a few minutes, the goblins entered and the guards blocked my path.

The one on the right, a small dark haired dwarf, spoke first. "Hello there, ma'am. I apologize but because you are a powerful individual, you'll have to show a Dwargon ID to enter or wear one of our monitoring bracelets.".

I suppose that makes sense. I wouldn't want someone as powerful as I am causing problems in my own territory. "I don't know what a Dwargon ID or a monitoring bracelet is." was what I said, which was met with some confused looks, but nonetheless, the fat dwarf on the left answered.

"Well… an ID is a small rectangle card that proves who you are and this…" he reaches to a wooden box and pulls a thin gray metal strip in the form of a circle, with a rune, two concentric circles with a dot in the middle, etched on it, surrounded by lines connecting to it. "... is a monitoring bracelet. You put it on your wrist…" he put it on, "... it glows and then starts sending your location continuously to Dwargon Law Enforcement HQ. If you break it or remove it, they will be notified and you will be pursued and arrested.".

I hummed. If he put it on, that means it's unlikely to be dangerous, and him warning me against destroying it means it can be destroyed easily. "Okay. I suppose I'll have to take one. Where can I get this 'identification'?".

The answer came from the right. "You can get a Dwargon ID by living here for five years, work directly for the king for one year or pay 10 gold coins. To request one, you need to go to the Citizens Requests building." He handed me the bracelet and I put it on my left wrist.

After answering a few more inconsequential questions, I entered the dwarven city.

While looking around, finding all kinds of fascinating stores, selling everything, from clothing, to weapons, I had my mind occupied with what gold coins were worth. I've seen other monsters bartering without the use of coins so I understand the concept of trade, but I have no idea what ten gold coins can buy. I also don't know how I'm going to get any.

I approached a smithy, more specifically 'Kolin's Smithy' as it was written on a plaque above the door, displaying various armors and swords.

Thinking maybe I could trade some of my scales, my only resource at the moment, for these coins, I entered the establishment.

A dwarf, presumably Kolin, came out of the door at the back, after the chime my opening of the door made and stared at my one eye with a quirked eyebrow. I've gotten many of these looks today, mostly at my eye, but also at my sizable tail.

He cleared his throat. "What can I do for you ma'am?" He asked in a gravelly voice.

"How much does a scale of Charybdis cost?" I asked. His eyebrow shot up again, but before laughing it off, he paused and mused. Most likely because of the pressure I couldn't help but exude.

"Well… I don't have any, but nowadays they go for around 20 gold coins per scale. It's an incredibly lightweight and sturdy material. Amazing for both weapons and armor. I have only seen one personally years ago, but because charybdis has revived recently, I guess the scales are gonna appear on the market again and they're going to get cheaper. Why are you asking? You don't look like a blacksmith."

'Do all blacksmiths look like small humans?', I thought, while I opened my mouth and said something different. "I happened to find a few scales while wandering around the forest. How much would you buy them for?".

I pulled three of my scales from my 'pocket' and showed them to him. For a few seconds his eyes widened, focused solely on the 'treasure' in my hands. He coughed. "Well, you see… 20 gold coins is what I would sell them for, but I need to make a profit. And considering that charybdis revived recently, the price is definitely going to go down. How about… 12 gold coins each?"

I crossed my arms. I don't know anything about money. Would 36 gold coins be a big or small amount of coins? My silent musing was interrupted by the dwarfs' voice. "Yes, you are right. 12 is way too little. I'll buy them for 15 gold coins maximum." I think he misunderstood my silence but since 15 is bigger than 12, I'm not going to correct him.

Having left the blacksmith, 45 gold coins richer, I continued walking around, looking for the Citizens Requests building. When I asked the dwarf in the smithy, he told me that its main purpose was to receive complaints and suggestions from the population, but it had many other uses, like issuing IDs for example.

Before I found it, my eyes caught sight of a peculiar store. Above the door was a sign saying 'Butterflies of the Night' and a pair of slightly open lips. Considering the sign, I assumed that it was some kind of eatery.

When I looked through the window, I saw a group of dwarfs drinking from foamy cups, surrounded by extremely attractive elves, which confirmed my suspicion. This store sold drinks. My legs took me to the front door, which I opened. I was confused by my own decision of walking into this store, as I didn't really need to eat or drink to maintain my body.

Almost everyone in the store looked at me with bewildered faces, mirroring my own expression. A few seconds of silence pass, until one of the blonde elfs runs up to me. She was a head smaller than me, but knowing I'm almost as tall as the door, she was still one of the biggest inside the store. Big in all the good places, as she hugs my arm with her vast mounds and brings me further in. My face heated up for some weird reason.

"You are so beautiful" the blonde elf said to me with a smile and after looking at my face she smirked. "So it wasn't a coincidence you came here was it?".

I confusedly asked her what she meant by that, but she simply told me to forget about it and guided me to one of the smaller round tables to the right. I sat down, the elven beauty still clinging to my left arm and an elf with a darker complexion than mine sat to my right. I didn't know where to look, but I couldn't properly concentrate with so many soft curves around me.

"Wow. I love your eye and your tail looks so smooth! I've never seen someone of your species before. If it's not rude, could I ask what it is?". The clingy elf asked excitedly. I don't think there are others of my race, so it only makes sense she's never seen someone like me.

I spotted another pretty elf walking in our direction with a tray carrying a single tall glass, forming an upside down cone on top of a little pillar. Inside the cone was a purple drink.

I gave the subject of my kin a bit of thought. There is no name for it, so I should probably come up with one. Combining the megalodons that are miniature versions of myself and dragons, which I technically am, I came up with a new term.

"The reason why you haven't seen someone like me, is because our species is extremely rare…" It's true, even if I'm the only one to have ever lived, "... and we are called Drakolodons.". Her eyes fill with wonder and a big smile appears in her face as she stares at my eye.

The Voice of the World sounds inside my head yet again. <Acknowledged. Unnamed species has been named Drakolodon by the individual named Charybdis.>. It's fascinating that the world itself would recognize my decision in naming my race.

The cone glass I saw before was placed in front of me and the purple drink inside almost seemed to shine. "This is a brandy made from Tyriana Manaberry. Unfortunately, because of its enormous magicule concentration, it's incredibly toxic to all beings with small magicule reserves. We would like to give you one glass for free, since almost no visitors can enjoy the rich flavor. Should you want more after, keep in mind that it's a very expensive drink at 23 silver coins per glass.". I thanked the elf, she smiled at me, turned around and returned to her position behind the counter where she was in before.

I picked up the glass and moved it close to my nose to smell the curious aroma of the purple manaberry drink. I was starting to get annoyed by my lack of knowledge about the value of coins, so I decided to ask the beautiful elves to either side of me.

"Believe it or not, I'm not from around here. Could you tell me the value of the coins you use for trading here?". Both of them smiled and the dark elf was the one to answer my question.

"That's interesting. You come from so far away that you don't know the currency that almost the whole continent uses? Anyways, it's very simple. 100 bronze coins equal one silver coin and 100 silver coins equal one gold coin.

As for their purchasing power, you can buy a loaf of bread for around five bronze coins, a full meal at a restaurant would be something like one silver coin and an inn would cost two silver coins per night. On the more expensive side of things we have good quality armaments, ranging from dozens of silver coins to maybe even one or two gold coins and for the truly rich, there are unique-grade weapons or armor worth hundreds of gold coins. But since you're obviously a princess from a faraway land, you have enough to pay for drinks for all of us, am I right?"

The scent of the brandy in my hand was sweet and fruity. It reminded me of my forest clearing, where a few fruit trees live. I started drinking it during her explanation and the rich berry flavor hit me almost as hard as Milim's laser did all those years ago as it burned hard in my throat.

It tasted amazing and I felt revitalized like when healing my body after a fight. It also seemed to be affecting my mind very slightly as I felt a bit less on guard or tense. The blonde elf hugging my arm suddenly yelped quietly and deepened her hug as if someone pushed her against me.

"Well of course girls. Feel free to order whatever you want to drink.". The dark elf pouted slightly looking at her friend who I now realized I had wrapped my tail around and pulled closer to me. She was blushing slightly, but I thought releasing her now would be even more awkward so I let her enjoy being closer to a superior being such as myself.

A few hours later, I left the amazing 'eatery' one gold coin and a half lighter. In my bag, I had 43 gold and 50 silver coins. I don't think they believed the stories about my fights against heroes, but we all had a lot of fun anyways.

The Tyriana brandy was one of the best things I have ever consumed. It is of the highest urgency that I acquire the trees from which the berries sprout so that I can drink them whenever I want.

Unlike all of the drunken dwarves that left the 'Butterflies', I could still walk mostly straight, so I headed to the citizens requests building with the directions the smith gave me.

The building itself was different from all the other stone brick buildings, only because it was much bigger and had big double doors, to allow anyone from any species to enter.

Outside of Dwargon it was nighttime, but that didn't seem to matter, as most stores were still open at night, and so were important buildings like the one in front of me.

The doors were already open, so I entered and found a counter at the back with various labeled sections. There was 'Identification', 'Requests', 'Disputes' and a few others.

Manning the counter were small female dwarfs, wearing a red and yellow uniform. The room itself was full of seats, for the people waiting their turn.

At this time, there weren't many people present so I didn't even have to wait, as an annoyed human left the 'Identification' section muttering under his breath. Leave it to the pathetic humans to get so easily angry over such simple matters. Seeing no one else going up to the 'Identification' counter, I strode forth.

"Hello, I'd like a Dwargon ID please.". The black haired dwarf didn't even look at me as she said in a bored voice. "Next time take a number from the roll. It's common sense really." Then she looked up and flinched, surprised by my appearance.

After a few seconds, she cleared her throat, gave me a painfully obvious fake smile and said in a more friendly tone of voice. "Do you have proof of residency, an employment certificate, or are you paying 10 gold coins?"

A second passed as she remembered she was talking to a monster and clarified in a hurried voice. "Oh… also, unnamed monsters can't register, so if you have a name, please enunciate it when using the ID Orb. All you have to do is put your palm on it. Pay the fee first and then we can proceed."

I am indeed named, but I don't think it would be wise to just announce to everyone that I'm the uncontrollable murderous monster that I used to be. So I need to say a different name, and hope that whatever makes the ID can't somehow find my real name.

What should my fake name be? The connection I feel to somewhere in the west of the Jura forest has been getting stronger and the being I feel on the other side is definitely way stronger than me and seems draconic in nature. It must be a true dragon, and for one of them to be in the Storm Dragon's domain, it is definitely Veldora.

Normally, the parent would be the one to give a name to their progeny, but that didn't happen with me. I don't even know if my father knows or cares that I exist. Anyways, it could have been my pettiness, 'gifted' to me by humanity's malice that I was created from, but I decided to simply steal part of his name.

I put 10 shiny coins on the counter, and the woman rapidly took them. Without another word, she pulled a big light blue orb the diameter of my forearm, with exquisitely intricate carvings of what I assumed to be runes, and put it on a support on top of the counter.

Heeding her instructions, I placed my hand on it. It emitted a blue light through my whole body and then it stopped as if waiting for me to tell it my name. "My name is 'Vel'."

The dwarf carved my fake name, in an ornate, beautiful font using a special stick, at the top of a red and yellow metal card and then inserted it onto the orb as I took my hand off. The inside of the orb made some mechanical noises and then the card popped back out through the same opening it went in.

She handed it to me and told me. "The process is finished. Now you can access various facilities that require an ID, for example, the other sections of this building, the church's healing stations, the Dwarven Public Library, etcetera. There are also some jobs that require ID and most types of land ownership are also barred to 'non-identifiable people'..

I nodded and looked down at the card in my hand, which displayed written information and a little image of me.

Armed Nation of Dwargon ID

Name: Vel

Species: Drakolodon

Age: ~2500

Gender: Female

PN: 314159265

I thanked her and left the building. From what I've seen, Dwargon is the leader in technology, at least in the west, so I'm curious what kind of knowledge, mainly about runes and runetech, I can gather from the public library the little dwarf mentioned.

I was so excited that I almost added a skip to my step. Almost.

Note:

Edited 25/07/2024: Smaller Paragraphs

End Note: