Ughhh...

I regained consciousness, but my whole body is still wracked up with fatigue.

I don't wanna get uuuuup.

I thought I was waking up from merely sleeping, but something felt wrong. I tried to recall what happened.

*********************************

I tried to fly to the town with an amputated leg and probably a damaged spine, but the blood that started seeping through the paw started growing as more of my already dried-up magic reserves were used. Tears were still going out of my eyes as it took everything for me to keep flapping my wings. I was almost in the outskirts when my vision started getting hazy from all the blood loss.

No! I need to keep going!

My eyes started to become heavy as my flapping wings started to slow down out of fatigue. Yet, I recognized a building that I could maybe reach. The library.

As I tried to land next to it, my vision started blacking out and I crashed to a window instead, cracking it too. I was already too spent to make a sound.

The last thing I saw was my blood now fully seeping out of my leg and my blood splattered on the cracked window before I fully blacked out and lost consciousness.

********************************

As I recalled the moment before I thought I would die, I opened my eyes and found myself in the same lab I was in this morning. I was very surprised to find my amputated arm back again.

Did the scientists find and heal me?

I tried to get up, but I released a whimper as a sudden jolting pain erupted from my back. My eyes started to water again as tears try to find their way into the world.

That wasn't healed...

Before I could do anything else, I flinched as the laboratory doors opened. It was Professor Damian.

Oh, thank god! If there is one out there...

"Ah, you're awake. Great. You forced me to use a very hard potion I saved up to make to heal that leg, you know. Luckily I made three of those. You'd have to tell me what happened or I might cut your leg off again," He said as he smiled.

"Dude, not funny. That's a sick joke."

He laughed. "Before that, drink this first. It's a normal healing potion, but it's enough to heal your bruised spine. I was able to heal your leg, but not that."

He went to a cabinet and pulled out a beaker with a clear liquid inside. The closer it is, the more I noticed tiny pinpricks of light coming from it.

"So this is a healing potion..." He then inserted the tip into my mouth and tipped it up. I grunted in fatigue as it forced me to move my neck up. I felt like a baby because of how he's making me drink.

Well, I am barely two weeks old in this world.

That's when I realized, for the first two weeks of this new life, I went through a lot of shit. Damn.

I finished drinking and Professor said, "Alright, cough it up now."

"So, I ran out into the forest as I was still unnerved by needles. But I realized I went the wrong way and wanted to-"

"Wrong way to where, exactly?" He raised one eyebrow.

I can't even do that eyebrow thing when I was human... "My cave. My old home. I practice magic there and there's somehow a natural hot spring there which I occasionally enjoy. That was what I was aiming for to calm myself down."

"I figured you had to practice magic somewhere. Why else would you read the magic book and occasionally unofficially borrow some? Oh, and I'll also have to pay for the broken book you broke yesterday. Paper is still quite rare here."

If I could blush, I would blush out of embarrassment, "I'm sorry."

He laughed. I was confused at what he was laughing at. "You just blushed!"

I CAN BLUSH?????

"Anyway- I went the wrong way and I was about to change directions when I got attacked from the ground and tried to dodge the attacks, but the attacker managed to get me grounded. It was a man with a full brown outfit and some metal plates on his holers, elbow, chest, and I think also a silver emblem on his chest?"

His eyes widened in surprise, "You survived an attack from an elite adventurer?"

"What's that?"

"They're adventurers that have achieved advanced rank in the hierarchy and are rare to find. They have those silver emblems. The ones with golden emblems are champions, and they are either extreme or treacherous ranked. You'd be lucky if you see one in your lifetime," He paused a little, "Or, because of what you are, you'd be extremely unlucky meeting one."

"I was only allowed a second of breathing space before he slashed twice, the second one got my leg," I sighed internally. "Do you want to know something about me that can be dangerous?" Professor Damian nodded hesitantly.

"So... I tend to snap when someone inflicts pain on me for no good reason. I had bullies when I was young, but they stopped shortly after I gave them bruises or sometimes damages bones." Professor Damian raised an eyebrow again at this. "That's exactly what happened that time. My memory is a bit hazy at what happened because everything I did was kinda fueled by rage, but I do remember almost winning."

It was silent for a few moments save our breathing when Professor Damian suddenly laughed. "Not only did you survive a fight with an elite adventurer who thought you were a threat, but you say you almost won too? I know you've been practicing magic, but that's not something to joke about. You need to know your strength in this new world compared to others to survive."

"But it is true!" I scowled.

Suddenly, the door opened as the 'elite' adventurer came in and I kinda panicked a bit but he didn't see me as he swerved left towards some bookshelves which is the opposite direction from where we are.

I growled a bit, still holding a grudge against him, "What are the chances of him coming here?"

He was in a lighter brown tunic which I assume is new as there are no signs of our fight on it.

"Let me go speak to him," Professor Damian whispered as he started walking towards him.

"Oioi, I'll be watching and listening too!" I followed by jumping from the tops of a bookshelf to bookshelf.

The man looked up as Professor Damian approached him. "Ahh, an elite adventurer. Quite a rare sight in here! What could've brought you to this town and to this library?"

"I came to this town for some quests, but imma be takin' a break right now. I got into a little roughie with a small yet dangerous creature lurkin' in the woods out there. I came here to get some knowledge of it so I can kill it next time. Any rumours of a small purple dragon 'round here?" He said roughly. "Oh, and the name's Girmold(gur-mold), nice to meet ya." He extended his right hand to shake.

"Professor Damian," the professor replied as he shook hands with Girmold. His gaze went to me for a split second as I smirked with solid proof of the person I beat up. And I thought my luck gauge was deprived already today...

"So, as I said, there be a dangerous creature at least my level lurking in the woods. Heard of it here?"

"Yes, we have, actually. But he didn't do any damage to anything or anyone. His name's Troy, and he's the pet of the son of the lord! The purple thing has been quite the talk of the town for the past week or so. It's only a lesser dragon. Surely you don't say that a lesser dragon who is barely 2 weeks old is such a threat?"

"Well, tell that lord of yours to kick it out of his house or something, because yes! I am saying that thing is a real threat to the area. I bet it'll be causing forest fires or something soon."

The chances of me starting a forest fire are next to none. Deforestation is illegal, mah man.

Girmold then raised his left hand, showing the red bandages around his two missing fingers, "This is what happened a few hours ago, I'm not happy, but I sure am grateful that it wasn't my life taken instead. I ran out of my magic reserves doing my signature move, and it was the first to survive it. But instead of attacking, it left. By pure luck, it was also probably depleted of all its energy. Left me with two fingers missing on my left hand. Bein' honest, I was scared like hell at that moment."

Professor Damian's face visibly contorted as he looked at me again for a split second with a 'What did you do???' look.

Professor Damian sighed. "Look here, Sir Girmold, I-"

"Please, just Girmold."

"Girmold, I can get those fingers back if you swear to me that you won't tell anyone else a secret I'm gonna tell you."

Girmold was confused, "You tell me a secret and I get my fingers back? What a deal! Unless there's something hidin' in the back of this?"

"No, nothing. Now, let me get the residue of the prime healing potions I used before. Oh, make the deal two secrets. Don't tell anyone I have those potions."

"Now where'd you be gettin' potions like that?" Girmold growled out loud.

"Used to be both a teacher and a part-time alchemist who has enough dedication to make some."

"Impressive..."

In the middle of this exchange, I was up there going WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING.

IT'S A SECRET BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WHY'D HE SPILLING THE TEA? (great grammar dude)

I took precautions to not make any noise that would alarm the fighter as I just kept watching him and the laboratory doors until the Professor came out again with a beaker which had a healing liquid again, but this time the lights were so concentrated it almost made the whole thing look white. There was only little left. Probably what's left after he used it on me.

"This should be enough," Professor Damian said as he opened the bandages and took a step back from the blood before pouring the potion over it. It was pretty awesome to see. The lights started to create an outline for his two fingers before they slowly materialized from the stump to the tip. I was dumbfounded. Is that what happened to me too?!

"So, hear me out here. You can't tell anyone about this. But that dragon, he's no less intelligent than us, and he's my friend. He's in this town pretending to be a pet of his own volition. I've spoken to him, and he's no threat to me."

"More the reason to destroy him! An intelligent monster is worse than a feral one!" Girmold shouted.

"Keep it down, please. And I disagree with that. Surely you provoked him somehow."

"I was just doing my job! I see a monster, I slay it! And I saw it in the sky! So I shot it down and slashed its foot off. Holy crap, he had a handicap, and yet he still managed to tie the fight," Girmold complained, whispering the last part.

"Have you ever thought some monsters aren't evil? Why did you attack first instead of waiting for him to attack you so you could judge him? You adventurers stereotype monsters too much."

"It's a habit we get doing our job!" Girmold sighed. "Damn. You're right. I think today taught me a lesson. You say this purple dragon... Troy, is it?... Can speak?"

"Telepathically, yes."

"Then I better apologize to him the next time I see him. I really did a lot of dama-" Girmold suddenly started acting urgently. "Professor! We need to find him! I amputated his leg! I'm afraid he might be losing a lot of blood!"

The professor smiled, "Yeah, about that, I said the potion is a residue because I already used it on him. Oh, and if you want to apologize, then he's right there."

Professor Damian pointed to me and Girmold whipped around and made eye contact with me. It was like this for a few seconds as we don't know what to say to each other. Him with the shock of me watching and listening the whole time and me...

This is so fucking awkward, I wanna disappear into thin air.