Waking up in my own den feels amazing. It has been good to get out and meet people, but I do worry about the safety of my people when I leave. I’m pretty sure I used to feel bad about just leaving like that, but I’m feeling more assertive than I ever have been before.


    I’ve told Turgai and his group that they’re welcome to stop by Tuiran any time they’d like, and he appeared quite interested in coming here at some point. So we will see how that goes.


    “Kira, are you awake?”


    It’s Raya! With a soft purr, I let her know that I am awake and she’s welcome to come inside. I’m always happy to see her, and it appears she has put away her Kirarmor in favor of her usual shirt and pants, but judging by her expression, she has something else to talk about.


    “Kira, have you looked at the town with magic eyes? I think you should next time you come home from a trip. “


    Oh, that sounds odd. Nudging her, I ask what’s going on, and she informs me that the magic saturation in the area is growing denser. I’m not sure what that means for us or the townsfolk, but I hope it isn''t bad.


    Considering how my magic is affecting my friends, I would think more magic in the area might make people stronger. And if they become stronger, then Tuiran will have fewer things to worry about, especially uppity adventurers who think culling goblins is okay.


    Oh! A town full of dragon goblins would be so cool! Though there is something to be said about consent on the matter, but I''m not sure what to do about that. Maybe we should have a meeting about it with a bunch of townsfolk, but then they might ask me to leave to avoid getting turned into dragoblins.


    "Kira, I can tell that you''re thinking dumb thoughts. Stop it."


    Dang it, she''s right... I shouldn''t be worrying about that before it becomes a problem. I express my thoughts to get Raya''s opinion, but all I get is a pfft and a dismissal as she''s sure everyone in town would love to learn magic and become stronger.


    "Everything I could do before meeting you, I can still do, but now I''m strong enough to not have to worry about wolves or anything in the forest. In all the ways that matter, I''m more than I was."


    It still feels like something people should know about before they wake up with a tail or a snout.


    That''s a problem for later, though. For now, we should worry about going north and finding the Lands Beyond Death and the Shae. The skull Turgai prepared for us is just floating there off to the side with its faint teal glow. It seems fixated on my hoard, which makes me a little uncomfortable, but without hands or flesh, it shouldn''t be able to abscond with any significant amount of my hoard.


    My hoard is growing at a steady pace. Between eating adventurers, regurgitating the wealth they carried, and the tribute given to me by elder Turo, I''m becoming quite wealthy without having to rob villages.


    It''s becoming quite apparent that I''m gonna have to look into some sort of flooring to prevent my money and precious metals from sinking into the clay. I might also have to dig out a new room for my hoard to prevent the water dripping from my body from moisturizing the clay around it.


    It would not be good to have to dig out my hoard regularly, especially considering how consistently it seems to be raining now. At least my little trench at the entrance is working, so my den isn''t flooding yet. Maybe I should deepen it and make a little bridge for people to cross.


    Dang it, I got distracted by engineering! Focus up, Kira, we''ve got mysterious and ominously named lands to visit.


    I''m gonna push all this magic talk to the side and think about what we''ll do when we meet up with the Shae and what we''re gonna do about the undead jerk and his shenanigans. I don''t really care all that much about the human towns near us, but I would rather not be surrounded by the undead, especially if they turn out as tough as Frosty.


    "I''ll grab Boneface. Could you call for Lauren? Then we can get going."


    How did she know?! She''s a witch!


    Raya grabs the skull as she said she would and starts heading for the exit. She might have to stop by at home to change, since she is wearing her usual clothes instead of her Kirarmor.


    "Lauren, do you want to join us for a trip north? We''re going to find the Shae!"


    I don''t know how she does it, but I swear the sensation I get in return is an eye roll. She does seem interested in joining us, so we''ll have to pick her up too.


    As soon as I cross the trench of my den''s entrance, the clay becomes so muddy that my feet sink into it. The squishing and slurping sounds as I make my way up the ramp are weird, and the ground does not want to let me go.


    I''m stronger than some silly muddy clay, so I''m getting further and further up the ramp, although not without digging in my claws. Dang wet soil trying to entrap me. When we get back, I might have to roast it a bit to get some of that moisture out.


    As we get outside, the first thing I notice is that it''s still quite cloudy, but the rain has stopped for now, so I''m gonna have to build a dam of some sort. There was still water dripping into my den''s entrance, so that suggests to me that the place is sloped toward my ramp, which is bad.


    It''s possible that I might have to look into actually finding a good spot for a den instead of just having dug a random hole and called it a day. Although it would be a shame to abandon all of that wonderful mural art.


    "She got distracted while waiting for me, huh?"


    "We didn''t even get to the waiting part, she just started grumbling about moisture and saying some weird words from her language a few times."


    Pfft, Lauren just hurried to get here and that''s why it looks like I got distracted for a while. In reality, it was just a moment and that''s okay, insulating your home against the elements is important.


    Instead of lingering on that nonsense, I ask them if we should get going, and they both stare at me for a moment.


    "Do you want us to climb all the way up there?"


    "Sorry, I must have been too distracted to notice how tiny and flightless the two of you are."


    Lauren''s expression changes to a coy smile and a raised eyebrow as Raya chuckles an apology. And with things in order again, I lower my head for them to climb up on me. I''m sure Raya could have managed without any assistance, but it''s a long way up to my head for her.


    I do have one question that I''m unsure of...


    "If we''re gonna find someone who knows Skelly, should we bring the things we''ve been keeping safe?"


    Raya seems to think that it would be better to have Skelly visit and collect them if I want to give them up, which is fair. And Lauren points out that it would be rude to get the robes drenched if it starts raining. They''re full of good points.


    We should probably stop by Raya''s place so she can get her Kirarmor, since we might be headed somewhere dangerous. I would certainly feel better if I knew she was properly protected.


    As I tell her, she tells me that the craftsfolk north of town have finished building some of the kilns, and they need me to light them. That''s a quick job, so we''ll fly by Raya''s place and continue to the kiln area.


    As I look around, I don''t see the magic Raya mentioned, but the glowing mushrooms are becoming brighter. I''m curious how that will turn out. I kinda want to learn more about the functionality of my magic and how it impacts the world around me, since it does seem to follow some sort of rules.


    So far, what we have to work with is that I can hurt people with it, like I did to Lauren and Joras, but I can also change people, like with Lauren and Raya. And if using my magic is the key to the latter, then the people here soaking in the magic must have to give some sort of consent through usage before changes occur. At least I hope so.


    But then Lauren only started changing after she got hurt, so that suggests something else going on, but there isn''t anything jumping out at me. A bonk from above alerts me to the impatience of a certain goblin, which is followed by orders to get moving instead of hovering in the air for no particular reason. At least I didn''t keep flying this time. Who knows where we''d end up.


    We stopped pretty much on top of Raya''s place, so flying a little lower, she climbs down as Lauren and I continue on to the kiln area.


    Crossing over the crooked wall, which someone should fix and nobody knows how it happened, the kiln area comes into view. All the grassy bits have been removed in favor of a raw dirt look. They seem to have dug the kilns into the ground, and I have no idea how such things work.


    I''m impressed by how quick they''ve been to dig this out. By my measurements, I''d say these four kilns are very big. As I land next to one, it becomes clear that I''m right. One of them is as long as my tail, and if my shoulder height is almost four meters (12.6 ft), I would say my tail is about three times that. Those are some big kilns.


    I don''t think they''re done, though. From the looks of it, the townsfolk have dug out a right triangle and built the kiln into it with two branching arms filling the hypotenuse with storage for pottery to be fired. The acute angle seems to be where they''re tending the fires, and that seems dangerous if they''re planning to use dragonflame, but I''m no kiln master. And I assume Neithro has done a good job of guiding them.


    "You are serious about helping people rebuild, aren''t you, Kira?"


    Lauren seems to be getting the wrong idea here. This is just me offering to assist, but the help is almost entirely from the people of Tuiran. Hell, I''m a big part of why the people of the Ruins of Plainshold need to rebuild in the first place, so taking credit for rebuilding feels inappropriate.


    There''s a goblin staring at me, and he''s coated in clay, making him look like a golem.


    "..."


    He grunts at me and motions for me to follow, and I get it. Being non-verbal isn''t easy, but he''s doing a good job of motioning with his hands as he guides me into the acute angle fire pit. It''s already loaded with firewood. He''s blowing on the wood, so I assume he wants me to do the same, and with a focused jet of flame, I light the wood on fire, earning me an appreciative grunt.


    "Lauren, do you know how a kiln like this works?"


    "Sort of. It takes at least three people to operate, a tender and two flue openers. They''ll have to work together to get the heat to where it needs to go by opening and closing the flues and inlets as needed."


    That''s interesting and it seems like a great opportunity for woodcutters and kiln operators to earn some money from all of this, but it does bring up another question...


    "What''s a flue?"


    "The burn chamber will fill with smoke, and that smoke needs to be let out through the flue, but the opening of the flue inside the chamber is much lower than a chimney would be. So it traps the heat while pulling out the smoke."


    Huh, that''s clever. And supposedly, with my dragonflame, the heat becomes magical and empowers the pottery and bricks. That does seem like an awfully long chamber to go into to collect the finished products, though.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Lauren comes to my ignorance rescue as she explains how they''re adding metal sheets to the sides of the burn chamber, so they can redirect and reduce the heat. That''s very clever, but I''m still gonna urge them to be careful. I''d rather not kill any of my people, even by indirect means.


    The sensation of someone climbing my arm lets me know that Raya has joined us as Grunty grunts for me to follow him to another kiln. It''s a mirror image of the first one, and I''m pretty sure all four of them are built the same way. For something these guys built in a week or so, this is ridiculously well done. And best of all, they made the pathways between the kilns dragon-accessible! I can fit without bumping into things!


    As nice as that is, I don''t want to spend all day walking between these constructs, so with a few puffs of rushing heat, I get a grunt as Grunty gets a move on. He gets it.


    I''m not sure how much they have prepared, but I''m gonna assume the blacksmith, whose name was... Knotten! Right, I remember. Point to Kira! Nevertheless, I''m gonna assume he knows how to handle dragonflame by now and can help them out as they go.


    With the last kiln lit, we''re ready to head out for the north! I hope Shadow Man will show up if I end up needing to return in a rush, but I can''t help worrying about anything that might happen while I''m gone.


    "Kira, it will be okay. The guards are stronger now, and they can take care of themselves. Besides, I told Neithro to check up on the village if we take too long to return."


    I can always count on Raya. She may be the first to bonk me on the head, but she''s also the first to help me when I''m in trouble or if I get bad ideas in my head.


    Spreading my wings, I fold up my wings as I''m reminded of the fact that I just lit a bunch of fires and blowing a gust of wind onto them is a bad idea. So we''re walking a distance away before we take off!


    Another point to Kira! I''m winning all the points today, and the point-giver isn''t biased at all.


    As we walk away from the kiln area, my feet sink into the ground again and I''m getting curious about how much I weigh. I''m kinda big, so it must be a lot. Asking Lauren and Raya about it doesn''t yield any results, so that leaves one source who might know.


    *Hey Merciferus, how much do you think I weigh? I''m a little curious since my feet sink into the ground a lot.


    "Did you really just pray to a God to ask what your weight is, Kira?"


    I don''t see the problem here, but Lauren is using her blasphemy voice, and Raya is laughing, so it must not be an acceptable question.


    "Did she give you an answer?"


    "Yes, but I don''t understand it. She said fourteen tonnes, but I haven''t heard of the word tonnes before."


    Geez, that''s a lot of me. I don''t even have anything to measure it by here. We need to make some weights at some point so I can explain how much one tonne is. But yeah, no wonder my feet sink into the wet ground and I can be tracked by the damage done to the roads.


    Well, enough about how awesome I am, it''s time to head north! In post-summer season, which always ends well for everyone who has done it.


    With wings spread wide, we take off and Raya climbs onto my nose for some reason, which reveals that she is wearing some sort of helmet. The Kirarmor didn''t include helmets as far as I remember, but this helmet does match the set, and it seems to have glass to allow Raya to see as well as holes for her horns. Dang, she''s responsible, wearing a helmet when riding dragons. Point to Raya.


    I can''t tell whether Lauren has one as well or not, but I''m gonna assume she does, since Raya''s helmet matches her Kirarmor.


    It soon becomes apparent why Raya has chosen my nose as her seat. She''s holding the skull so I can see which way it''s pointing. Which is not quite the way we''re flying. It wants us to go north-northeast.


    Off in the distance, I can see Oakhold and I''m a little appreciative that I don''t have to go there. The buildings are too tall and the streets are too narrow. I''m not gonna focus on that, though. The scenery around here is a lot prettier to look at in this gloomy season.


    The flowers are losing their bloom, and the leaves are blowing around in the wind, creating vortices of flower petals dancing across the fields. I expected that to be on the other side of the year, just before summer, but I appreciate the beauty in these cloudy days.


    A tap on my snout alerts me that the skull seems to be changing direction a little, so we should as well. With a flick of my tail and a slight twist of my body, we head further east towards whatever it ends up being.


    I''ve heard a bunch of stories about what the Lands Beyond Death might be. Some say that it''s a place where the living can meet up with dead relatives to talk one last time, which sounds like a neat idea. Others say a cruel demon rules the place and will torture any trespassers who might encroach upon the lands, but those stories just make the scalefolk laugh.


    The story that doesn''t make them laugh, but instead makes them smile is that it is a place of salvation. A place where they can abandon the shackles of their old lives and be anointed in the waters of renewal to become a whole new person, but I have no idea what that entails. I''m pretty satisfied with who I am, so I don''t want that renewal business.


    With gentle movements, I ask Raya and Lauren if they know anything about the place, and Raya is quick to shrug and tell us that she doesn''t know anything about any place with such a dumb name.


    A tiny berry flies from behind me and whacks Raya in the nose.


    "Don''t call things dumb just because you don''t know about them, it''s a bad habit."


    "Sorry..."


    Yay! My two besties are becoming besties!


    "I don''t know much about the place, but the Order of Merciferus considers it a sin to go there."


    That sounds relevant...


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, Lauren, but you''re going there with Raya and me, aren''t you?"


    "I am. I assume Merciferus would have stopped me by now if she didn''t approve."


    That sounds like the kind of nonsense reasoning I would go for, but Lauren is usually more responsible than that. If I were responsible, I might look into whether I''m a bad influence on her, but I''m not, and she''s an adult. So we''re going to the place she''s not allowed to go to!


    Onward to mysteries and action! Oh! And treats! I''m sure we can stop by somewhere and find some treats. In fact, we''re closing in on a village and I''m curious what sort of things the farmers of this region eat every day.


    I''m not sure they''ll be welcoming, but I hope I''ll be given a chance to prove that I''m just a mighty dragon of cuddles.


    At the very least, they have some pretty houses with a typical wattle and daub look. I quite like that look, it''s quaint. And the straw roof matches it quite well.


    As we fly over the village square, it becomes apparent that things will not go like that. As we prepare to land, the screams from the villagers grow in intensity as Lauren asks me what my plan is. And... I don''t have one.


    I can tell she''s rolling her eyes at me as she chuckles while dismounting.


    "Calm yourselves! I am a cleric of Merciferus and we come in peace. We saw your village from the skies and our hope is that we may purchase a few rations to get us through the rest of the day. Take a look at my equipment, and think about whether I know what prices are like in a quaint village as yours."


    Did we even bring rations? That sounds like a smart thing to bring. Although it might be tough to bring enough for all three of us, and I''m not going to point anyone out as the most voracious glutton. It could be anyone.


    And that last part sounds remarkably like she''s telling them to take advantage of her. Well, if she''s paying, then it''s up to her. And it seems to be working as some old guy is approaching, with caution being the word of the day.


    "By Merciferus'' kindness, how has a cleric tamed a Dragon?"


    "Merciferus'' light shines on all creatures, and may she smile upon you, elder. Though I fear I must request rations once more. A beast such as this one eats quite a lot more than the Order is willing to accommodate, so if I may impose, would we be able to purchase a few meals and a beast fated for slaughter?"


    "And it has been tamed? Truly?"


    I have not.


    "She has, as well as anyone may tame a Dragon. I invite you to touch her. Kira, down."


    I''m agreeing to it only because I want these meals. I want to try all the meals in the world!


    "It is true, you have command of the animal... We have heard tell of a dangerous Dragon from the south, so I must apologize for our fearful response to your presence. It is clear that this is not the Dragon of the tales."


    I''m pretty sure I am the dragon of the tales, but right now seems like a bad time to correct him. The sounds of creaking shutters opening around us make it clear that the elder''s change in tone has been enough to put the villagers at ease. At least to a reasonable degree. I guess the part where their village isn''t burning is also making them feel safer.


    Lauren continues to talk to the elder as I decide to lie down, but it becomes very obvious that I have forgotten how wet this season is as my belly becomes coated in, I hope, mud. It''s probably not just mud, but I''m not gonna face that reality.


    "Animals poop in the street, Kira."


    Dang it, Raya! I''m trying to ignore that! And she''s on top of me, so I can''t give a puff of punishment smoke... I''m powerless against her harsh realities!


    "Kira, they''re bringing out a twinhorn for you, and preparing a few things for Raya and I. And yes, I will share with you."


    She knows me so well. And I get to see what a twinhorn is! There''s a commotion coming from behind a building, and I can''t quite see it, but that''s easy to solve, I just need to stand up. And as I do, the commotion grows louder as a group of men are dragging a cow with four horns behind them. The horns seem to be arranged in a decidedly square formation, poking forward and capable of dealing quite a lot of damage to anyone poked by them.


    That''s not a problem for me, though, I''m a lot bigger.


    It spots me and seems to decide that getting out of here is the smart move, so with a mighty shake of its head, it manages to pull the lead loose. As the men scramble to get the situation under control again, Lauren shouts for them as the cow takes the opportunity to run as fast as it can away from me.


    "Let it run, we don''t want anyone to get hurt, and she enjoys a hunt."


    It''s true, I do enjoy a hunt, but I don''t think this will be much of a hunt since the twinhorn isn''t all that fast.


    The buildings around here are only one story tall, so I won''t have problems with my wingspan, which means I don''t have to leave town first! As I lift my unfolded wings, Raya takes the opportunity to join Lauren at street level, and off I go!


    It hasn''t made it far at all, and with a swoop, I catch it in my mouth and carry it off. With a crunch, I make sure it dies quick, since I don''t want to torture it. It''s delicious and I kinda want more.


    Soaring toward the ground, I prepare to land so I can eat. It''s not much more than a couple of bites, but I''d rather not drop any of it. With a mighty... Well, it was supposed to be a thud, but it ends up just being a squish sound as my feet sink into the soil again. All this wet ground is getting annoying.


    Focus, Kira! It''s snack time! It really is small compared to me, and I suspect I might have been able to swallow the entire cow if not for those horns. I''ll sort it in two bites and a severed head. That''s just being smart and not overdoing it.


    This time, I''m not gonna bring the remains back, which I''m sure some small predator will enjoy.


    Looking back at the village, it''s clear that I haven''t traveled far at all, and as far as time is concerned, it''s barely worth flying. I''m gonna fly anyway, since the animals they have around might get frightened by my land-based approach.


    The lack of screaming is a relief, and it doesn''t take long to smell out where Lauren and Raya have gone. It seems they''ve gone into a larger building, leaving me irresponsibly unattended. Landing with a thud, an actual thud this time, not some stupid squish, thank you, cobblestones, I head for the larger building where Raya and Lauren are.


    Aside from people still hiding, they''re being quite hospitable. I feel like my bar for hospitality has fallen quite far when the measurement is ''are they fleeing in terror?'' I might have to work on that at some point.


    "I believe my Dragon has returned. I thank you for your graciousness, elder. May Merciferus bless you with a mild and safe winter."


    "And thank you, Cleric. I must say, I had not expected to be entertaining such unusual company this evening, but I thank you for your contribution and the experience."


    The door opens, and Raya is the first to step out to greet me. Following her is Lauren as the elder bids them farewell again.


    Lauren looks up at me and claps her hands, following it up by pointing to the ground, which I''m gonna interpret as wanting me to lower my head for her. I do so and the two of them are quick to leave the elder behind as they get ready for the last bit of our journey.


    "I must say, I am thoroughly impressed by your bond with the Dragon. I had not thought such a thing possible, but I will stay true to my word and teach my descendants to do the same."


    "And I thank you, elder. Now, we must be going, the tasks of a cleric appear endless, I fear."


    I don''t feel like I was gone long enough for some sort of deal to have occurred, so I''m gonna have Lauren explain as we get out of town. I''m not faced toward the square and I''m not gonna break any buildings. There''s no wall around this town, so there won''t be a gate to block me, at least.


    And just like my old world, there''s a large central road leading out of town for me! Add to that the small size of the village and I''m already outside in the field. We should visit more small villages in the future, they''re nice.


    Raya takes up her spot on my nose again, but this time she seems to want to lie down as she looks back at my eyes.


    "You look happy, Kira."


    "Yeah, this was a fun little stop. And what did you guys discuss with the elder?"


    "Lauren overpaid for the twinhorn and asked the elder to offer you another if you stop by on your own. He will also spread the word to other villages, so you shouldn''t get screamed at as much."


    I want to nudge Lauren so bad right now, but she''s on top of me, so I can''t! Dang it!


    "Thank you for looking out for me, Lauren. It means a lot to me, and I hadn''t even considered doing something like that."


    "You''re welcome, Kira. Though that isn''t the entire story. I also offered your hunting services should the villagers need them whenever you might stop by. So they might ask you to hunt down a predator or nearby bandits."


    It just keeps getting better. I love my friends.


    "What about me?"


    "Thank you for always being there for me, Raya. I can always count on you to keep me on the right path."


    "You''re welcome. We should stop standing around here, the skull is rattling for some reason."


    Raya proves her point by pulling out the skull and she''s right, it is rattling. And it seems to be trying to go further north this time, seeming to have abandoned the east part. I have no idea how that works, since I''m pretty sure that countries don''t move that fast.


    So we''re gonna find out what''s going on with that! And off we go!


    As we continue north, the landscape changes from fields and hills to forests again, but it seems to be just firs around here. Oh! We should visit this place before the snow sets in to collect wild mushrooms!


    "Kira, the skull wants us to go south now, I think we went too far."


    How did we go too far? We haven''t found anything special yet. Trusting Raya, we turn around and head back south at a leisurely soar. I''m not sure what we''re looking for so-


    "North again."


    Okay, so we''re definitely looking for something small. I''m trying to fly even slower, but it''s not working. I seem to have a minimum speed I have to go at, and it''s too fast to deal with this indecisive skull of bad directions.


    We''re gonna land and do this on foot. It''s gonna be another squish landing instead of a satisfying thud landing...


    As we touch down, I''m proven right. I''m not gonna get hung up on that and instead start walking into the forest to find where the skull is leading us. I am curious about where that might be, since this seems more foresty than deathy. Asking Lauren and Raya about it is the obvious choice, so that''s what I do!


    "The Skull of the Necrophage is leading you to me, Great Dragon."