Chapter Four: A Dragon’s Mouth is Dirtier than a Dog's

As the final death gurgle of a doomed slime faded away, the small clearing became dead silent. Satisfied with a job well done, Larson turned around proudly. Yet seeing Larson turn his attention towards him, the poor tigerkin unconsciously stepped back.

“Oi, stay still, this won't hurt a bit.” Larson called out as he stepped forward. Hearing the demon child's words and seeing him raise his finger, the tigerkin felt like his soul was trying to flee his body. Squeezing his eyes shut he waited for the inevitable taste of death. However, the pain never came. Instead, a pleasant cooling sensation spread through him. Opening his eyes in wonder he could see a faint glow lingering around his limbs. Glancing towards the horned child questionably, he couldn’t mask his confusion.

After casting [Basic Heal] on the tigerkin, Larson quickly appraised him again. Noting that the healing spell managed to cure the Poison he was relieved. Noticing the lost look plastered on the other’s face Larson smirked, “What? Did ya think I was gonna gut ya or something?” The words that came out of the small child’s mouth didn’t fit his tiny stature. It also did nothing to ease the tigerkin’s bafflement.

“What, no… Who are you?” The tigerkin asked when he eventually found his voice.

“Who am I? Why I’m simply your friendly neighborhood knight in shining armor. Except I’m a dragon, and they’re scales… and they’re more of a dull gray instead of shining. But, you may call me Larson.” He laughed as he made an exaggerated bow trying to lighten the mood. “The real question though is, who are you? A poor damsel in distress?”

Catching on to Larson’s teasing tone the tigerkin flushed, “My name’s Galdon, and I’m just as much of a damsel, as you are a knight.” Having said his piece, Galdon folded his arms in a huff. The two boys stood there in silence for a moment before they both started to laugh. The stress from the earlier situation finally loosened its hold on Galdon as he laughed with Larson.

“Never thought I’d meet a dragon in the forest,” Galdon said as he looked Larson up and down, however soon his smile faded again. “I thought I was going to die... I owe you one.”

Larson waved his hand dismissively, “No worries, I simply have a distaste for slimes. Saving ya was merely an added bonus.” Turning his back on Galdon, he started walking around and collecting the fallen small crystals. While he was pocketing his loot, he called over his shoulder, “So how’d ya get in a situation like that anyway?”

Galdon faltered for a bit at Larson’s sudden question. Instead of answering he made his way into the clearing as well. The silence continued as he started helping Larson collect the scattered cores. It wasn’t until he had a handful that he decided to speak again.

“I’m a White Tigerkin.” He said before falling quiet. Nearby Larson stayed silent as he waited for him to continue. “Apparently White Tigerkin is a rare mutation… And the bandits near my home figured I would sell for a lot of money…” Galdon fiddled with the cores in his hands, his voice steadily getting softer as he continued.

“They attacked my home… My mom and dad… They told me to run… I could hear them yelling and screaming… I- I ran- I just ran, I...” Tears were leaking from his eyes as some crystals slipped from his grasp. Standing in the clearing his shoulders started to shake due to the barely restrained sobs.

Larson froze in panic as he listened to the boy’s story. ‘Whoa, hold the phone! This just got way too real!’ He thought while staring at the now sobbing child. He’d assumed the kid had just eaten a bad mushroom or something. Not really sure what to do, he walked over to Galdon. Standing beside him, he awkwardly reached up and gently patted the boy’s head.

Knowing that ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘That’s fucked up’ probably weren’t the best things to say at the moment, Larson wisely chose to keep silent. It wasn’t until a chilling breeze passed over them causing Larson to sneeze that the silence was broken. Feeling the wind picking up around them, Larson frowned. A lightbulb went off in his mind as he came up with an idea.

“Hey, Galdon, why don’t you come back to the church with me? I’m sure Gramps will welcome ya with open arms.” Larson said with a small smile.

Galdon’s brow wrinkled as he wiped his eyes, “Church?”

“Yeah! I live in the church just through them trees. It’s only me and Gramps, so there’s plenty of room for ya if ya wanna-” Before Larson could finish his sentence a loud series of crashes, followed by a bunch of shouting, interrupted him. Just as he was wondering what the hell was going on, he saw Galdon’s ears flatten. A look of complete and utter horror then appearing on his face. Larson felt his stomach drop as he realized who it probably was, heading in their direction.

Not bothering to wait around and check, Larson grabbed ahold of Galdon’s arm. Ignoring the remaining crystals around their feet he dashed off towards the church, dragging Galdon behind him. They only managed to make it to the tree line when a group of men rushed into the clearing behind them.

Three rough and burly men paused as they suddenly left the forest. Yet the next moment the leader of the trio noticed the pair of kids scurrying away. The leader of the group was a savage looking man. And his eyes seemed to flash as he locked on to the fleeing duo. Alerting the other two with him, he bolted after Larson and Galdon.

“FREEZE YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!” The leader yelled, his voice carrying a weird feeling to it. As his command landed on Larson and Galdon’s ears the steps of the pair faltered. Larson’s dread was mounting as he discovered that the words had a controlling element to them.

As soon as that thought entered his head he knew things were going beyond his control. Making a split-second choice he grit his teeth. Jerking to a stop he yanked Galdon in front of him. Gripping his shoulders and looking him in the eyes, Larson spoke in a low and serious tone.

“Galdon, listen to me. Run straight through these trees. Do not stop until you reach the church. Hasson will help you. Now go! GO!” Ignoring the pain and reluctance in Galdon’s eyes, he pushed him towards the forest. “I’m the knight in shining armor remember? NOW GO! AND DON’T LOOK BACK!” Acting like he didn’t see the tears in Galdon’s eyes, he turned around to face the men closing in on them.

As Galdon stared at the small back in front of him and heard the words that sounded so much like the ones his father had spoken, a wave of mixed emotions washed over him. “KNIGHT’S DON’T DIE!” He yelled as his tears started streaming down his face. Mustering all the strength in his body, Galdon sprinted in the direction of the church.

While watching the three men approach, Larson entered a battle-ready stance. Galdon’s yell rang in his ears as he started to appraise the incoming enemies.

Name: (Hidden)

Titles: none

Race: Human

Main Job: Bandit

Secondary Job: none

Level: 24

HP: 2000/2400

MP: 1000/1400

Status: Healthy

Bounty: 50 Gold 22 Silvers

Name: (Hidden)

Titles: none

Race: Golem

Main Job: Bandit

Secondary Job: none

Level: 26

HP: 2720/2800

MP: 1000/1000

Status: Healthy

Bounty: 48 Gold 85 Silvers

Name: (Hidden)

Titles: Blood Thirsty

Race: Human

Main Job: Bandit Leader

Secondary Job: none

Level: 40

HP: 3900/4000

MP: 2500/3000

Status: Healthy

Bounty: 101 Gold 10 Silvers

Larson swore under his breath as he saw their levels.‘What the fuck?! This is the beginner forest for crying out loud! What kind of broken shit is this?’ Even with the couple of levels he’d gotten from killing all the slimes, he knew he stood no chance here. Taking a moment, he pondered where he’d respawn when these bandits inevitably ripped him to shreds. Pushing that thought to the side, Larson quickly shot two [Holy Shot] at the bandits’ feet, hoping to stall for time.

The bandit trio was clearly experienced as the easily evaded the incoming magic. Yet Larson had succeeded in getting them to stop. The trio looked at the small child before them stunned. Seeing a kid, that looked no more than five, using magic was unprecedented. Let alone the fact that the boy had fired off two spells in a row. However, the words the child spoke next had them wondering if any of this was even real.

“Oi! Who you callin’ a bastard ya ugly ass slimy fuckers!”