Nathan was alone again. It had been a long time since that happened. Pellere had been with him up until he met the residents of Shelter and he stuck around there spreading the god of impulse's name until it turned into Three Cities. Now he was out in the wilderness, searching for materials to use in the rebuilding of the city. Nathan had gone North, June went East, and Alex went South.

Nathan was currently searching through the ruins of an old town a few days travel from where Three Cities fell. He and the others had fanned out around the area to look. Pulses of his blessing revealed the broken down cars and other litter across the street. On the sides sat decrepit fast-food restaurants and two gas stations. He doubted there was anything of worth besides building materials but the gas stations could still have fuel. He made a mental note to check on his way back and headed deeper into the town.

Highway roads were replaced by the small tarmac streets found in middle America. The beginnings of a trailer park entered Nathan's sight. He ignored it and kept walking. The trailer park became a quaint downtown area, storefront stalls still displaying their knick-knacks. There might be a few materials that could be salvaged here but Nathan was holding out for a factory or something.

And then he found something. A small college campus. It had multiple buildings and a large parking lot so Nathan knew it wasn't some small community college out in the sticks. The campus had to have a science division. Maybe they had a 3D printer or other technology.

He walked towards the building, sword at the ready. Most of the monsters in the area would have either moved on or settled into one specific territory so Nathan was confident he would only face one monster at a time, if any. The wind kicked up an empty plastic bag and blew it past Nathan as he entered the main campus.

He pulsed his power and found a map of the campus. He ran his fingers over the face to see if there were any Braille translations. There weren't. "I thought colleges had to be handicap accessible," He muttered.

It looked like he'd have to do it the hard way, pick a building and search room by room. He started here with the building closest to him. He pulsed his blessing as he walked in, realizing it was an administrative area. There were printers, but they weren't 3D. The most technologically advanced thing in the building was the TV in the lobby area. Nathan heard the high pitched whine of technology and realized it was still on.

He made a mental note to see if they could collect it and moved on. The next area he found seemed like a gymnasium, and he wasn't alone. He pulsed his blessing and saw a figure running around the edge of the track on all fours. It was around the size of a bear but had wings and scales. As he stepped in the creature stopped its jog and bounded over to him.

"Who dares enter the domain of Exertious the Athletic!" The voice boomed. A puff of fire flew out of the creature's nostrils. Nathan could feel the heat from here.

It was a dragon. A small one, but a dragon nonetheless. Its voice was imperious and a tiny bit posh. Like Nathan's grandfather from Europe. Thinking quickly, Nathan spoke in his most polite tone.

"Mighty Exertious," Nathan started. "I am but a humble paladin of Peller on a quest to gather materials for my city. I did not mean to intrude upon your domain."

"Hmph," The dragon replied, nose turned in the air. "Ignorance is no excuse for bad manners. You should have knocked."

"Forgive me o Athletic one," Nathan bowed low in deference.

"Oh very well, very well. It has been a while since I had company. There used to be so many others here, all looking to learn. Such a nice place you know, places of learning are so hard to come by normally. Especially places dedicated to improving one's body." The dragon flexed its wings and posed.

Nathan breathed in relief. It seemed this dragon wasn't the angry type, more the insufferable type of dragon found in children's stories. He'd remembered reading some stories about them as a kid, they were always trying to act smarter than they were.

"Thank you for your graciousness, Sir Exertious," Nathan said, turning to leave.

The dragon waved a wing. "Yes yes, I'm such a forgiving person. But must you leave so soon? I was hoping to try a tandem exercise but as you can see there really isn't anyone around that could work with me."

"I don't think I would be a good partner for you Sir Exertious," Nathan replied.

"Nonsense," The dragon refuted. "You think I can't see those toned muscles under all that armor? It practically screams fitness. No, I think you'd be the perfect partner for this exercise." The dragon's nostrils flared with fire again.

Nathan sighed. "Very well, what must I do?"

"It's simple," Exertious said. "I've heard of an exercise the kids play called tag where one must chase the other until touched in which case that person becomes the tagger and must chase others. I wish to try this game."

It seemed reasonable enough. "Alright, who starts."

"I will," The dragon said and shot out towards Nathan like an arrow.

Nathan didn't even have time to think, that's how fast the dragon moved. His blessing took over and twitched him away at the last second, narrowly avoiding a fate as the college's new abstract painting. The dragon sailed past and straight into the building wall, breaking it to pieces. "What the hell!" He shouted.

"Put your back into it boy you won't be escaping me that easily!" The dragon roared, shaking itself free of the debris. "Here I come again!" It shouted. Nathan swore it sounded like it was having fun.

Nathan's blessing once again stopped him from becoming a splattered bug on a windshield. It seemed Exertious didn't know how to hold back at all. Nathan scrambled out of the building and booked it across the open space while Exertious dislodged himself from another wall.

He heard the heavy footsteps of a dragon chasing behind him and he dove to the left. He felt wind rush past him and heard another crash. Nathan pulsed his blessing and found the dragon crashed through a tree. Taking the second to get his bearings, Nathan ducked into another building.

It was a library. He could tell even without his blessing. It smelled of old books was dry as a desert. Nathan took the chance to duck behind a shelf of books. Soon he heard the front doors crash open as Exertious entered. "Ah trying to make it hard for me to maneuver I see. Very clever!" The dragon called.

Nathan wasn't feeling clever. He wasn't sure how he would get the dragon to stop chasing him. Maybe if it tired out? His thoughts were interrupted as another voice entered the conversation.

"And just what is going on here!" It cawed. Nathan heard the flapping of wings and something large slam onto the ground floor. He pulsed his blessing.

A sphinx was standing in front of the dragon, tiny spectacles resting above her nose and connected with a chain. "How dare you enter a place of knowledge with such disgrace!" The sphinx shrilled.

"Ah madam excuse me I am looking for my training partner a young paladin. I do believe he has run into the building to escape being tagged. We're playing a game of it you know, it's ever so enjoyable. I haven't moved this much since my hatching day!" Exertious rambled.

"If he has, he was at least quiet!" The sphinx said. "I don't care if you're trying to play games as long as you respect the rules!" A paw pointed over to a board sitting at the front desk.

"No running. No loud noises. And no food." The dragon said aloud. "But how are we supposed to play an exciting game of tag without exertion!"

"I don't care how! just don't bother the sanctity of the library again!" The sphinx huffed as she took off.

Nathan sighed in relief. The dragon wouldn't turn him to paste while looking for him in here. He could get tagged and then he could be the one to chase the dragon. Then the game would end and he could be on his way. He walked out of his hiding place and towards the front so Exertious would see him.

"Ah, there you are paladin!" The dragon boomed. Nathan winced. "Come now, we must leave before the batty woman appears again!"

Nathan winced again. Wingbeats sounded through the air and he heard the sphinx land again. "Excuse me?" The sphinx said. "Did you just call me, batty?"

The dragon looked around, "What? No! I would never insult another of the winged race, even if they are a lesser species."

"Lesser?!"

"Did I say lesser I meant Lester. Yes, he's my cousin you know. A sphinx, like you! I don't like him all that much he steals the warmest seat by the fire during all the holidays." The dragon rambled on. Nathan could see the sphinx puffing in anger as Exertious went on to describe how terrible his "cousin" smelled and how "ugly" his feet were. Nathan saw why anyone who met him stayed away.

"That is it!" The sphinx cried after Exertious put one too many feet in his mouth. With a powerful swat, she hit the dragon out of the library. "And don't come back!"

"And you!" She turned to Nathan. He gulped.

"Yes?" He said, quiet as he dared.

"Are you looking for a specific book or just browsing?" The sphinx asked, sugar practically dripping from her mouth.

"Um, I'm actually here on a scouting mission for my city. We're looking for materials to build with ma'am." Nathan said. It didn't hurt to be polite after all.

"I see. Well, I can offer you books on building materials and architecture, but nothing in this library." She said.

"Then…" Nathan steeled himself. "Would you happen to know where I could find some materials?"

"I do happen to know, would you like me to tell you?" The sphinx asked.

"Yes," Nathan nodded.

"Only if you answer my riddle," The sphinx said.

Nathan nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! Now. Why is a raven like a writing desk?" The sphinx asked.

"Because Poe wrote on both?" Nathan answered. He'd heard the riddle before and this was the answer he was given.

"Ooh!" The sphinx said excitedly. "I've never heard that one before. But wrong!" She swiped a paw down at Nathan, who dodged out of the way. "The correct answer is that it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in the front!" Her other paw swiped down in attack. Nathan rolled out of the way.

"Hold still!" The sphinx cried.

"I'd rather not!" Nathan answered.

"You lost the riddle, so I get to eat you. Now hold still!" The sphinx demanded.

Nathan sprung up and booked it out of the library, his body ducking before he could thing. A dragon sailed over his head.

"Good show!" He heard.

"Sorry can't play anymore!" Nathan called back. "She's trying to eat me!"

"Come back!" The sphinx cried. Powerful wings opened and she rose up to the air in chase.

"Hold now!" The dragon yelled. "I'm the tagger in this game, not you!" He rose up to chase the sphinx.

Nathan felt the tug of his blessing as he ran. Pulsing, he saw that the dragon was chasing the sphinx, complaining about her apparent rules breaking. Nathan took the chance and tugged at the impulse of anger in both the sphinx and the dragon. Both found themselves angrier at the other.

The sphinx saw another predator trying to steal her prey while the dragon saw a rulebreaker bent on ruining some good fun. "If you won't back down I will be forced to reprimand you!" The dragon said.

"Try it, you old fogey!" The sphinx shot back.

"O-o-o-old!" Exertius sputtered. "How dare you! I'm still before my second millennia!" He dove forward at the sphinx and the two clashed in the air. Nathan ran as far away from the fight as possible.

He made it back to the trailer park before he felt safe enough from the two monsters.

"Let's try the gas station," He said after catching his breath.