Drake is staring at the stone in the center of the entryway when I return, a look of slight confusion on his face. He's still cute, even with that look of confusion, though if I look at him as he is now, he's more than cute. This is frustrating, and I should give him clothes soon.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"No," he looks at me. "How do I get a Crystal of Power? I only had the option to do the Class Trial."

"Did you do the Class Trial?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers. "But it only gave me the option for that. How do I get the Crystal of Power?"

"It's…" I sigh. "You have to put your hand on it again. This time, the Class Trial option will be empty, since you don't qualify for another Class yet, and the third box will have the option for Crystal of Power. Once you select it, you'll be able to enter the Crystal Dungeon and challenge it. If you complete it, you'll obtain a Crystal of Power."

"Oh," he reaches out to touch the stone again, presumably to pull up the menu once more.

"Wait," I stop him, and he looks at me again. "The challenge for the Crystal of Power usually requires a team of several people at Tier III or Tier IV. If you only just took on your first Class, you're barely Tier I."

"I need to obtain a Crystal of Power immediately," he tells me. "Do you know of another way to get one?"

"No," I tell him. "Erm. No one who has one is going to just 'hand it over'. You'll have to train up, and maybe find a bunch of other adventurers to help you."

"How long would that take?" He asks.

"How long do you have to complete this quest?"

"Ten years, at the most," he answers. "Though the effects of the planet dying are likely to be more noticeable soon. The sooner I accomplish it, the better the state of the world is when it's saved. If it takes me too long, many will die. I wish to complete it as soon as possible."

He really seems to believe this story he's giving me. I'm guessing he wants to use the power of the crystal to bring more life to where he lives. So he either lives in wastelands, deserts, or some other harsh region. Possibly underground? The sooner he accomplishes this quest, the sooner he can return home and use the Crystal of Power to improve his peoples' lives.

If he lives in an isolated place with a harsh environment, it would explain why even Daniel doesn't know of anyone with reptilian traits. Some of the more isolated regions rarely see visitors. We aren't even isolated, but we still don't receive guests often, and the ones we do are passing through to see Granny, more often than not.

"Well," I say. "We can always ask Granny for advice. I was planning on visiting her."

"Granny?" He asks. "Who is that?"

"My grandmother," I answer. "She's the Oracle, she tends to know things. It will take a few hours to reach her, but she might be able to offer you advice for your quest."

"Thank you," he steps closer to me, and having a hot, naked guy do that kind of makes my heart pound a little. "Take me to her."

"First," I open up my menu, then the Inventory, pulling out the clothes I bought for him. "You should put these on. It makes people more comfortable when people are wearing clothes."

Especially when said person finds you attractive. So please put the clothes on. Now. Please?

Drake accepts the clothes and pulls them on. It's a pair of black pants with a split at the top of the back to accommodate for talis and a dark green tunic. There's also a black leather belt, and a pair of brown leather boots that I thought might fit his feet. I didn't really look at them before, but I guessed that he might be around my size for at least those.

Once he's dressed, I relax a little more. That's much better. He's still hot, but it's at least not distracting anymore, though it might take awhile for me to calm down. With a tunic on, the scales on his sides and shoulders are hidden, though the small strip on either side of his neck is still visible.

"Clothes are strange," he murmurs.

Not as strange as someone who claims he's a dragon here from another world with the intent on saving it from dying.

"Come on," I tell him. "Let's go visit the Oracle."

"Thank you," he says. "If she has advice to offer, then I will hear it."

I start walking, and Drake follows. Hopefully, Granny can offer some enlightenment regarding Drake, where he's from, and his quest. Him coming with me is an even bigger bonus, as she'll probably be able to see more than if I went by myself. She might also have suggestions for an alternate to his goal that doesn't involve rushing into getting a Crystal of Power. If not, then places we can go to find people who would actually help him on the quest and not be greedy or betray him, but still be able to help him with the trial to obtain it and the four to power it up.

We don't talk as we walk. I'm not sure what he's thinking, and I know that any conversation between us would be mostly me asking questions to expand on whatever answers he give, which would just be exhausting to do.

There's not much on the walk, either. We see a few deer, a few foxes, the sparse trees, a couple of brooks, and that's about it.

After about two hours of walking through the valley and hills, we eventually reach the ocean shore. Apart from the sandy beach, there isn't much here other than a dock, with several rowboats tied up against it.

There are only three of them, but that doesn't surprise me too much. An adventurer did come by yesterday seeking Granny's advice, and he's probably still there since most people take two or three days to reach her, then leave. I untie one of the boats and climb into it, then look at Drake.

"Come on," I tell him. "We have to row the rest of the way, she's on the island you can see out there."

Drake nods, then climbs into the boat, and I begin rowing. I don't visit her enough to have really built up arm muscles for this, and I'm relatively average when it comes to strength, so by the time we reach the island an hour after setting off from the shore, my arms, shoulders, and upper chest and back are sore.

At the dock on the island's sandy shore, we climb out, and I tie down the boat, then lead Drake onto the island. This place always feels strange to me, partly because I can sense the great treasures here, partly because I can feel the power in the air.

Anywhere that has a Crystal of Power with so much focused power in use holds this feel. The kingdom's capital, where I lived before I came here, has a Crystal of Power. It's used to cover a space bigger than a few miles in diameter, and even at its center, the power isn't concentrated as much as at the edges of Granny's island. As a result, the feel there is a lot weaker. Most people wouldn't even notice it, especially those who grow up used to it.

Here, though, the feel is immense. I've heard that it's as strong as the feel of some of the strongest Dungeons and Ruins to ever be completed. I find the feel of the magic soothing, and the island itself to be quite serene. Sometimes, I feel like Granny actually made the island for me, with how much I enjoy it.

Past the beach is a forest, the trees bordering exactly at the edge of the beach, showing no dirt at all. They're packed together impossibly close, the trunks actually touching, leaving no gap between them. It forms a wall all the way around with a single entrance, a gap four feet wide a straight walk forward from the docks. Some of the roots from the trees poke out of the sand, though none do at the entrance.

"This place feels powerful," Drake murmurs as we step under the canopy of the trees, the canopy so thick that sunlight doesn't pass through it, casting us into shade. "So full of life."

"A Crystal of Power charged with all four elements," I tell him. "Was used to create this island's defenses. The trees would never have managed to grow and thrive so close together without it. Whatever you do, stay with me."

"Why?" He asks, and I can see hope on his face.

It's way too honest. Without a doubt, he thinks he might be able to acquire the Crystal of Power here, since it's already fully-charged.

"Because unless you're keyed in as a resident," I tell him. "The island's defenses will kick in. You'll have to go through a maze to reach where the Oracle lives. If you're keyed in as a resident, you can walk straight there. That said, it's a couple of miles in, so we'll be walking for awhile more."

"That is fine," he states. "As long as she can give advice that helps, I will do it."

I nod, then we enter into the pathway between the trees. This really is the only way to reach her, too. Granny put up aerial defenses and illusion spells to prevent anyone from finding her island without coming through the approved way or simply going over the trees.

In theory, I could, but as I lack wings, I can't fly over the maze.

At first, things start to get darker, the light from outside fading away behind us. It doesn't take long, however, for us to see small glows ahead. As we draw closer, I look at Drake's face, watching his expression as he sees the glowing flowers hanging from the branches of the trees. His mouth is slightly ajar, his face full of awe.

"Do you have something like those where you're from?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers. "We have licarin moss, which we use in some of our caves for light. And the remro and laddal mushrooms. But I haven't seen them as flowers. Those look to be part of the tree."

"They are," I tell him. "Granny modeled them off a symbiotic relationship a tree and a flower she saw on the eastern continent had. So you live in a cave?"

"I did," he states.

"You don't anymore?"

"I'm here now."

"Yeah, you are," I say. "Is this your first time seeing trees?"

"No," he answers.

"I meant coming to this… world," I almost said region, but I think it'd be better to at least pretend like I believe him, for now.

One never knows if they might provoke a terrible response by acting like someone's delusions aren't real.

"No," he gives me a confused look. "We have trees on my world, too."

So his nation has trees, then? I guess the part about his region needing revitalization of some sort is because of plants dying, then. A fully-charged Crystal of Power could definitely do that. Normally, they would either charge it with water, earth, or both for that, though, not all four elements.

"These ones are so full of magic," he murmurs. "It reminds me of my world."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"The trees we passed on the way here," he says. "They're weak, their life forces sustainable, but not full of magic. The trees here, though? They are full of magic and life, overfilled with it, even. It's why they can survive like this. My home world is also full of magic and life. While this island's level of magic is still much lower than my home world's, there's still a feel that soothes me. The elements are much stronger here, more noticeable than elsewhere."

His home region is full of life? Then what does he need the Crystal of Power for? He seems to believe this 'save the world' thing. Where is he from? All things I'll find out soon, I'm sure.

Our walk continues in silence for a time, up until a tree on our right slides back, its roots shifting as well, to allow a red fox to step through before returning to its place. For a brief moment, we can see another passage, but that's hidden again once the tree is back in place.

"The tree just moved."

I glance at Drake, who is staring at the tree with wide eyes as the fox walks over to me and rubs its head against my leg.

"They do that," I tell him. "That's why you should stay with me. If we get separated, the trees will shift to create a new path for you, resulting in you needing to go through here as if you were in a Dungeon or some Ruins. I did mention that."

"You didn't say the trees moved."

"Yeah," I say. "I guess I left that out. There are some monsters here, too, and some animals. The monsters are trapped, while the normal animals, like little Kooril here, can convince the maze to let them through."

I reach down and scratch between Kooril's ears, then continue walking, the fox following.

"Come on," I prompt Drake, who's still staring at the tree. "Unless you want to go through a maze."

Drake hurries up, his tail flicking a little, the first time I've actually see it move on its own. Normally, it just sorts of hangs there, dragging along the ground behind Drake. I knew it could probably move, but after a couple of hours of not seeing it move, the movement caught my eye.

"What can you do with your tail?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you grab things with it?" I ask. "Use it like an extra limb?"

"I can grab things," he states. "As an extra limb, I am not sure. The fox's name is Kooril?"

"Yes," I answer. "He was born around the first time I came here, when I was twelve, and I named him that. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I did. He likes to come and greet me if he senses me here."

"He looks delicious," his expression says he's not trying to be mean, that he seriously thinks Kooril looks delicious.

That kind of bothers me, but the fact that his open honesty in his expressions does make it a little better. Wherever he's from, they probably eat whatever meat they get, so it's possible fox is on the menu at times.

"He's not for eating."

The rest of our walk is made in silence, as Drake ponders over whatever it is he's thinking about, and I just enjoy the serene atmosphere. Eventually, though, everything ends, and that includes our walk, the two of us seeing the end of the tunnel, where it opens up into Granny's clearing.