There it was. The Arcane Tower loomed over the land like a plague. Estelle looked at it in utter disgust. She stepped out from the carriage and approached the first person she saw.

“You there,” she called out.

A person looked over. He didn’t look particularly well-off. Perfect. Just a bit of money would be able to sway him. Old too. Probably unable to work.

“Have you seen a pretty boy getting taken somewhere?” Estelle asked.

“I dunno. Maybe I have. How pretty is he? As pretty as yer?”

“Don’t play games with me.”

“Information is quite hard to get, if you know what I’m getting at. How would you like to pay?”

“Here,” Estelle fished out a small silver coin.

“Oh! Not bad. Are yer a ‘oble?”

“Maybe I am. What’s it to you?”

“Yer don’t suppose yer could spare a coin or two, young girl?”

“I’d rather not. Now, hold up your end of the deal.”

“Ah, I did see a pretty person. Looked more like a cute girl then a guy though. But you’ll get more from Toothless Tom. You’ll find him there,” the old man pointed towards a suspicious dark alley.

Estelle raised her eyebrows, but nodded. She turned around as the glare of the sun hurt her eyes. The alley way wasn’t that far away, and from what she saw, there wasn’t anyone there.

The Shadow Troop, or half of what was left after deploying them to follow the expedition anyway, tailed her from behind. At least she had that. She walked towards the empty alleyway and didn’t really know what to expect. She entered, and stood there, waiting.

“You looking for someone?” a man asked as he entered there too, blocking the exit.

“Perhaps. I’m looking for a certain ‘Toothless Tom’, know him?” answered Estelle.

“Sure, sure. I heard someone’s looking for me?” an old man said as he walked in with his cane.

Contrary to his name, Toothless Tom was in fact, not toothless. Quite the opposite actually. He had several gold plated teeth.

“Yes. Have you seen a pretty boy being taken in this area?” asked the sister.

“That’ll cost you, dear. And you’re a rather beautiful girl walking in here alone. I’m sure you knew what you’ll be paying with, right?”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“There is only one way for girls to get any information from me.”

“Ah yes, of course.”

Estelle knew what he was talking about. But in reality, there were most likely 3 ways. Basing it off his disgusting, ugly smile, Estelle more or less could figure it out. And there was no way that she was going to ever agree to that. Not with him, at least. She smiled back, confident that they were thinking about different ways. Her method was probably one that he didn’t want.

“I’m glad you know. A willing one is always better than one that fights back.”

“Uh, I think we have different things in mind.”

“Ah.”

The old man snapped his fingers. Two more men entered the alleyway, and flexed their muscles. But still, they were no more than street thugs. And highly, highly stupid. Most likely, they saw her rapier on her hip, but they were so stuck up their own ass that they didn’t think she could do anything with that.

“So it seems that I’ll have to get my information the other way.”

“Just give up now and I won’t hurt you. Would be a shame to damage this skin of yours.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Estelle brandished her rapier. The men seemed to hesitate, just for a moment. But Toothless Tom commanded them forward. Mistake number one was not handing over information. Mistake number two was underestimating Estelle’s abilities. Mistake number three was not giving up. Mistake number four was even trying to fight a Rayleigh.

She stabbed a hole in a man’s belly. It was big enough to see through, as blood rushed out. It seemed like she had pierced through his stomach, as acid began to burn. Estelle turned towards the other men, and proceeded to do the same thing.

“Now. Two options. Tell me, or else.”

Toothless Tom clicked his tongue. He had as many men as he had teeth. Still, the advantage belonged to Estelle.

The job was easy. There were enough bodies to form a pile, but they’re still not dead. Yet, at least. Sooner or later, they’ll perish if left alone in the alley. Her rapier just barely touched the tip of Toothless Tom’s neck.

“I either put a hole in your throat, or you tell me. I don’t mind either.”

“Its- Its Rafelgo! I told you! Let me go!”

“Now wasn’t that easy. Where is he?”

“Check with the researchers! I don’t know his exact location! But it should be somewhere in that tower!”

Estelle looked at the tower looming over. Certainly, that had crossed her mind. But, them being there was just based on a few statements. Nothing was concrete. But this was. From the buildings that surrounded, a few members of the Shadow Troop jumped down and landed in front of her.

“Should we scout ahead?”

“No need. We head there immediately. Can you scale a tower?”

“With enough rope, we can my lady.”

“Good. You have permission to buy it. All of you, climb up.”

“What about you, my lady?”

“I’m heading in through the front door. I’ll get more information that way.”

The representative nodded her head. The hooded figure walked away, out of her sight. Estelle observed the tower. There were quite a few stories there. Probably more than enough mages to torture.

She made her way there, leaving the bodies there to rot. They were probably plaguing this area anyway. No one would miss them.

A large wooden door stood in front of her. No problem. With a swift, hard kick, the door imploded on itself.

“I’m looking for a Rafelgo.”

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Shut the fuck. Answer my question.”

She pointed her rapier at the poor man who asked his question. With an ugly haircut and weird proportions, he deserved to die. And besides, he was a mage.

A few thrusts were all that was needed. Lungs, stomach, pelvis, legs. All punctured. And his brain? Mixed together. His skull broke the moment she stabbed his head, and only got worse when she spun her blade around. If nothing else, a brain smoothie flowed out of two holes. One in front, one behind.

“Anyone else? I want to get Rafelgo, no one else. Don’t be stupid.”

“We don’t know!”

“W-wait! Please, miss!”

A small boy ran down the stairs. Everyone turned their heads to look at the new intruder. Young, with light red hair.

“A-are you l-looking for Fr-francis?” he practically shouted.

“Who are you? Why do you know that name?”

“That boy is Rafelgo’s slave. We don’t know anything about what he wants,” a mage answered.

“Fr-francis was here!”

“Hmm. ‘Francis was here’? Did you say ‘was’? Where is he now?”

“I-i don’t know. Ma-master was stabbed.”

“Oh- Pft- Hahahahaha! Where is Rafelgo?”

“He’s u-up here.”

Estelle smiled. But still, bad news. Francis was missing. If he was here, then where did he go? Did someone take him? Again?

She made her way up. Led by the boy, she kept an eye out for an ambush. But the Shadow Troop were still climbing up, so she had that backup. But mages were easy to kill. Just don’t give them any chance to cast their spells.

On a fancy bed, an old man lay. He matched the description given by Katalina. Bald, old, ugly. Bandages wrapped around his stomach. Did no one heal him? How pathetic. So it seemed like not even the mages here liked him that much.

“Get up.”

She poked his cheek with the tip of her blade. A small bead of blood popped out. If she pushed further, the rapier would lodge itself in his jaw. And it seemed like the pain was sufficient to wake him up.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t hurt an injured man. But he was a mage. He wasn’t really a human. Not in her eyes, anyway.

“Urg! What do you want?”

“Where did my brother go? Who took him?”

“Urg... I don’t know! Someone took him.”

“Change of question then. How did you find him?”

“Like hell I’m talking.”

Estelle removed her rapier and stabbed a hole through Rafelgo’s left hand. Bones broke and her blade pierced into the bed. A large red pool formed, staining the white sheets. He screamed in pain, but Estelle didn’t stop. All she did was shift her sword to his other hand.

“My lady,” the representative said as she entered in through a window.

“Good. Capture him. I want him alive. I’ll get the information from him since he still has his fingers intact.”

“Yes, my lady.”

***

The air within the upwards sloping cave was dank. Moss grew as water dripped from above. It was in no way pleasant.

Her task force consisted of three other sword masters. She would be the first one to engage in combat with the dragon. Elise held her blade tight, in a low stance. Insects crawled along the walls. Absolutely disgusting.

“My lady.”

Were they bodyguards or fighters? They crowded around her, holding their swords in a defensive position. Elise wasn’t even half as on edge as they were. They held torches in their offhand, and travelled up slowly. The slope wasn’t particularly steep.

“Hold on. Do you feel wind?” Elise stopped in her steps as she reported that.

A cool gust hit her face. It wasn’t strong, but noticeable. The dragon, or at least an opening, was close. Her team members nodded their heads. Their knuckles turned white as they readjusted their grip. It was hard not to be nervous. Even Elise was somewhat worried. But the second task force was coming, and they were the backup.

“Be careful. Approaching dragon soon,” Elise said.

“Yes, my lady.”

Elise gripped her sword. There was light at the end of the cave. Soon enough, they reached the end. She was the first to escape the cave.

How large was it? The dragon slept. Its wings were huge. Elise couldn’t quite help but gaze at it. And it's strange, semi-transparent skin was a window to its organs. She could spot what looked like an impossibly huge stomach, with a strong heart beating away. Elise held in her breath. It seemed like her teammates had similar thoughts.

“What now, my lady?” someone whispered to her.

“I- I’m not sure. Be ready.”

“Hn?”

“Shit! Were we too loud?”

The dragon flipped around and stood up. Its wings were able to reach the ends of the mountain opening, at least. Elise wasn’t quite too sure if that estimation was correct.

Two large, green emerald looking eyes looked at her. Its claws moved towards her. The dragon stood up, towering over the task force.

“Ahh... Ahem. Oh humans. Who are you?” the dragon spoke with a deep, husky nonhuman voice.

“My lady! Get back!”

“Hmm? You. Black hair girl, being shielded by people. Who are you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

“Why don’t you introduce yourself first?”

“Hahah! I like you, girl.”

In a poof, a misty cloud formed around the large, scaly beast. As it disappeared, the dragon was gone. Instead, there was a tall, tanned man. He had straight, dyed blonde hair that gradually turned brown as it got closer to the root.

“An exchange of introductions. I suppose that is fair. I am Dan.”

He took a deep bow. The dragon turned man was impeccably dressed, in a graceful setup of a suit and black pants. With his face and etiquette, Elise estimated that if he were in a ball, at least 20 different people would ask him for a dance without even knowing his identity. His name was pronounced more like a ‘darn’ than a ‘then’, but Elise didn’t have much confidence in telling him that.

“Elise. And why are you here?”

“I suppose you could confirm my suspicions then. Another exchange of knowledge. I am here to look for a partner.”

“A bride?”

“Oh, by Bahamut’s tail, no! A marriage would tie me down. Why do so many people think we want brides? And why are you here?”

“To kill you.”

“And my suspicions were correct.”

He walked towards their group. With his hand outstretched, it was obvious he wanted a handshake. But instead, a flower of swords greeted him.

“Ms Elise. A handshake, if you will.”

“And why should I do that?”

“You’re very much different from the rest of them.”

“How do I know you’re not going to kill me?”

“I swear on Bahamut’s name.”

Elise blinked. Even for a dragon, swearing on a god’s name was still major. She pushed her teammates out of her way, and walked towards him. They met halfway, and gave a firm handshake.

“Oh! Ohhhh! You! Ms Elise! Might you be related to Bahamut in some way?”

“Why?”

The dragon chuckled. He gripped her hand tighter than before, nearly threatening to crush her hand. Elise fought against his offensive, and squeezed his.

“You’re special. Did your great great great grandfather mate with a dragon, or something?”

It clicked. Dan was talking about the Rayleigh blood within her. Indeed, it was something of note. She tilted her head.

“May I know why?”

“Of course you may. You have good compatibility for the Exchange.”

“Ah, I see.”

She didn’t really get it. Whatever the Exchange was, it sounded important. And from how he acted, he seemed to live by those words.

An exchange was a transaction. Dan, the dragon, seemed to like transactions. First, with the exchange of names and introductions. Second, with their intentions. All in all, it seemed fair.

Elise motioned for her team to calm down. Their tense alertness melted away at their commander’s order. But, they still kept their blades trained on the dragon, but he didn’t seem to care that much.

Dan let go of her hand. She retracted her hand, and studied the man all over. He really was a giant, scaly beast not long ago.

“Do you happen to know any other people with your blood or genetics?” Dan asked.

“Not for free, of course.”

“Yes, yes. Come with me.”

He turned around, and led them away from the cave. The sun shone down on her skin, and she shielded her eyes from the glare. Dan didn’t need anything like that, and shoved his hands into his pockets. In front of him, there was a nondescript mountain wall. With his spoken word, carvings that resembled runes appeared on the stone. They glowed blue, and pulsed.

The mountain wall slid open. Perfectly cut rectangles slid apart, to reveal a shiny treasure hoard. Cut gold and jewels, all stacked up and arranged in a neat pattern. Elise couldn’t even begin to estimate how much he had.

“Here you go,” he said, picking up a bar of gold and handing it to her.

“I have an entire family. A pair of parents, a sister of the same age. Two brothers, one younger, and one older.”

“Are all of them like you?”

“I’ll take some diamonds this time.”

“Not bad.”

Elise pocketed a handful of jewels. All of different colours and shininess, but all undoubtedly valuable. And yet this dragon was handing these out for simple information. If he was a fool, he was a rich one. Or looked at it from a different angle, he was rich, but foolish. Or perhaps, from an even more different angle, jewels, gold, and the like had drastically different values from species to species.

“Most of them are the same. We have the blood of the Rayleighs. But my little brother is a mixed blood.”

Dan’s eyes widened as those words left her mouth. Cogs turned within his head. He stood silent as he thought. Elise didn’t misspeak, did she? All she said was the truth.

“Do you have anything that belongs to him? Or has his presence?” he asked, his eyes like those of a greedy businessman.

Elise nodded her head after a moment of thinking. How could she not have something of him? After all, the only time she wore it was during the Hunters Festival, and she kept it in her pocket ever since they left to kill the dragon. Most likely, it didn’t have too much of her scent on it. Only him, and Elise touched it. Her scent had likely not rubbed off on it since she left it in the open air, on her dressing table without her disturbance. She fished out the pair of earrings he got for her. Dan took a whiff, and nodded. The mountain door sealed back up, as he transformed back into a dragon.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Elise shouted out.

“To find your brother.”

With a great flap of his wings, he took off. Elise’s teammates stood speechless, unsure of how to process it. Meanwhile, the other groups arrived, just in time to see the dragon depart. Yet, as they shouted to chase it, she could tell that he wasn’t a dragon like those in the history books.