"The sad truth is, that I have gotten bigger, and the creatures I find in this land are no longer a fitting challenge. Unless you want me to have to get all of my growth from you, I need something more. TS is an amazing friend, but he cannot take me to the places I need to go to thrive. Only you can do that."

It was clear to Alan that the confession cost her dearly. She might have said before that she no longer hated him, but if his feelings toward Dantelion were anything to go by, then it was clear that such things didn't change quickly. Asking Alan for anything must make her squirm inside. Even knowing that, Alan didn't know how to help.

"What is it you think I can do?"

"Well, for starters, you could take me into some dungeons. TS cannot follow when you go, but as a Bonded companion, we can enter together. The threats in such a place would be much better for me than the monster dregs on the outside. Another thing you could do for me is to go with me when I leave the tutorial."

"I can't leave, I have to stay and help the people of Earth claim victory so that my people are erased from the universe."

Akilatjin gave him a rather withering look. "First off, you're one person, calm down. Even if it was true that your people would lose without you, why does that mean everyone else would be killed. I would think most races aren't sociopaths and would allow your people to settle under their rule. Second, that's not what I meant. I know you can't leave permanently. Even if you wanted, recruits have to stay until the tutorial is finished. They are allowed temporary excursions however."

Alan was once again lost by the dragon's words. "What are you talking about?"

This time her look was directed at TS, and it didn't take a mind reader to interpret it as one asking 'Is he serious?'

"TS explained that you have left the tutorial before. After earning yourself a Mentor, you were transported to a gladiator arena. There you fought others and earned yourself a title. I would like to do the same."

"I'm not sure what you've heard, but that was something pushed on me by the Network, I have no way to return there. I received a title, but it only lets me pay reduced prices to fight, there's no feature that will let me teleport to an arena."

"No of course not, why would there be?"

Alan's head was starting to spin. When Tamee called him stupid, it was mostly clear that it was a jest. The scaled worm beneath him was able to make Alan feel like a fool without ever saying so. You could almost hear the 'idiot' after every one of her comments. The worst part was, there was nothing he could do to defend himself.

"Then I really don't understand what you're getting at." He finally said into the silent pause.

"I will provide the means to get there. You will simply be my escort. If a worm like me showed up by herself, they would either fail to take me seriously, or someone would realize what I was and try to abduct me. The latter I could easily handle, although it would get messy, but the former would be difficult to deal with. That's where you come in. As a previous fighter, you can vouch for me and help me enter some battles. It will also help that you can actually talk to me."

"Okay, I think I'm starting to understand, but I have two questions. How can you get us there, and why do you want to go?"

With her eyes alone she managed to convey the message that 'finally we are getting somewhere.'

"Let me answer the second question first. I just told you that I need a challenge. What better way to challenge myself than against other warriors. This will allow me to really test what I am capable of. Also, it pains me to admit this, but I wish to learn more about my situation. There is little in my memories to explain why I was born a worm and not a dragon. These gladiator arenas also include bestiaries to raise competitors for some of their fights. They might have some information to help me figure out what is going on."

Alan nodded along in understanding. "That would be helpful I'm sure. I also have access to some information brokers, so I can try and get something that way. Although, I looked through there before trying to learn about dragons before you hatched, and I didn't see anything that might apply. I also wasn't looking for dragon worms, so maybe I'll have more luck now."

Akilatjin's mouth partially opened, her beak separating along the three seams. "I would appreciate that. As for how I can get us there, I was given a token." She suddenly hunched over, ducking her head down close to the ground and then started convulsing. Alan was concerned at first, but TS seemed to take it in stride. Suddenly, a dark wooden token shot out of her beak and onto the ground.

"Apologies. Without a properly formed body, it is difficult for me to carry items. Luckily I have a small, innate personal storage space. It is accessed through my digestive system unfortunately."

Looking down at the token, Alan recognized the symbol on it. It was the same symbol he had seen when he had been transported to the Warrior's Arena.

Item: Transportation Token, rarity Uncommon. This token can be used to transport the bearer and another individual to the nearest Warrior's Arena location. It can only take the user and company there for two days before they will automatically be brought back to the location from which it was used.

"Where'd you get this?"

"It was a reward from the village raid event. As your Bonded companion, I am considered a part of you, just as you are of me. That means I am also considered to be a part of your settlement, and my participation earned me this award."

Alan had heard from Roger about how TS and Akilatjin had brought in a prisoner. The Network must have deemed that worthy of special merit. Only a small number of people had received extra rewards, and this seemed like a good one. Akilatjin had gotten lucky there, and it looked like it would pay off for Alan too.

"So how would this work?" He asked.

"When I activate the token, if you are there with me you should get a prompt asking if you wish to join me. You accept and then we travel there together."

"So I get to be your plus one? Works for me, but why don't you take TS instead?"

"Unfortunately, a token like this won't work on what the Network sees as a beast. He also wouldn't help with the whole talking issue, as we have discovered already."

"Okay, well, when are you looking to use this?"

"Any time, but preferably as soon as possible."

That was going to be a problem. The next day was going to be their big competition, and they would start bringing in the slaves. Alan couldn't just leave while that was going on. Also, the whole point of the competition was to choose the best of those who were willing to push forward with him. Leaving just as that was beginning would send the wrong message.

"Could you possibly wait a few days, or perhaps even a week? There will be a lot happening here in the next little bit, and I can't just disappear."

"In the grand scheme of things, a week is not that long of a delay. Take care of what you must, but I will be staying here with you. TS has been kind enough to spend so much time with me, but he should get back to his mate."

Alex and Akilatjin both turned to look at the wolf. Even though Alan couldn't hear the wolf's thoughts, it seemed like the furry guy could hear the dragon's. With a little whimper, he nudged first Alan's head, and then Akilatjin's with his muzzle. He agreed with her statement, but he was going to miss the both of them.

"Oh hush, you big baby. I'll come by and check on you after it's over. You just do your thing and see about putting some puppies in her belly."

That was rather forward of her, but TS took it well. The wolf started to leave, but Alan called him back. Surely there was time for a meal before he left. Tucked away in one of his storage rings, Alan still kept a collection of rocks for a firepit. If he was going to grill something over an open flame, he would need firewood, but he decided to sear it with a pan instead. That meant he could line the bottom of his fire ring with some of his fire enchanted stones. With a deft touch he was able to control them all at once and provide just the right amount of heat.

Even before earning the skill energy handling, Alan had been able to manage several stones at once. Now, he was more than capable of infusing ten to fifteen small stones at the same time. That left him with enough mental capacity to carry on a conversation with the others.

"So, what were you guys doing up here?"

TS whuffed in the direction of Akilatjin. It wasn't surprising that she was the reason. TS had seemed content in his life at Amthraxia, whereas the dragon seemed to almost burn with ambition.

"We have been making trips up here to look around for new challenges, but to also wait around for you. We could tell through our bonds to you that you were still alive, but we couldn't go in the dungeon to find you. Not that we were worried."

Alan didn't need TS's incredulous look to tell that the worm was lying. For whatever reason, she really had turned the corner on her feelings about him. That, or perhaps she was just worried about how her Bond dying would affect her. There were probably Bad Things that happened when an official Bond died.

"Tell me about the prisoner you brought in."

Listening to the tell the two of them told of finding the enemy scout and their hilarious hijinks in trying to interrogate him latest through the rest of his dinner preparations. He had cooked up three monster steaks, seasoned with a few different spices, and a side of carrots. Akilatjin devoured all of hers, while TS mostly focused on the meat. All too soon, the meal was done and it was time for TS to go.

He tried to convince the wolf to stay through the next day, but watching the villagers compete against each other just didn't sound interesting to him. TS was much more excited about getting back to his mate and patrolling his usual area. Akilatjin needed a little more time to say goodbye, so Alan gave them some space while he packed up camp. The rocks had cooled enough for his constitution enhanced skin to handle, and they went back into his storage. The dishes would need washing before he used them again, but that could wait till he got back to Elstree.

With a heavy heart, Alan and Akilatjin watched TS head south. The worm had risen up, balancing on her tail to watch him go. He realized that she would actually be taller than he was if she could stand on just the tip of her tail. As it was, she came up to his shoulders.

"I hope you aren't looking to ride around on me, you are way too big."

"Didn't anyone tell you it's not polite to comment on a girl's size?"

From someone else that line would have probably come off as a joke, but from Akilatjin it sounded more like actual scolding. Alan had picked himself up another companion, but it didn't seem like she was going to be an easygoing one. As he turned to leave, Akilatjin spoke once more.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Before we go, we should clear the air. That is the correct expression, yes?"

"It is an expression, but whether it's correct or not depends on what you're thinking."

"Wow, nothing will even be easy with you, will it." Alan felt particularly aggrieved by that comment since she kept calling him out. "I wish to speak about the tension between us. I was taken from my mother, and while you weren't a part of that initial theft, you were a part of the chain of people who took possession of me. TS has made me aware of how you likely saw things, and the impracticality of you, who is stuck here, tracking down my mother to return me. Still, you did place my egg in a magical prison and bombard me with brainwashing energy."

"And I am sorry for that part. I can only say it was an error of perspective. I had never really considered what 'attuning' the egg would mean for the creature inside of you. I apologize for my mistake. It most likely won't be the last. I am human after all."

Alan and Akilatjin had been standing, facing south as if to catch one last glimpse of their friend. Now Akilatjin suddenly turned and looked right at him. "Are you though?"

That threw Alan off. From anyone else he might have thought they were being cheeky, but the dragon worm had shown no such tendencies to him so far. As a matter of fact, she tended to be quite literal.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you still human?" That question made his blood and his aura freeze. "Don't forget, I am bonded to you, so I can tell a lot about you, even when you are far away. I know that you were severely injured, and I can see some of your status now. You don't have to tell me what happened now, but eventually we should talk."

That was an uncomfortable place to leave the conversation, but Alan wasn't ready to discuss his fears. Instead he took the cowards route and turned toward Elstree. Akilatjin caught up almost instantly, despite getting carried everywhere, she was quite fast when she wanted to. Rather than slithering in a sideways curling motion like a snake, she undulated like a worm. Whatever inherent magic she had that allowed her to climb vertical surfaces, it also provided great traction over the easy terrain around them.

The beginning of the trip passed in silence, but eventually Alan felt the need to speak. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, I just don't know how to process it. Even after all the time I spent dealing with the change and what it did to my system, I still don't know how to feel. On my planet, we have stories of something similar happening, and none of them are happy ones. Even the one where the guy is the nicest teacher turns out poorly."

"I have to admit that I don't have much experience with your plight, but the condition is not totally unknown to me. Without any specifics from you, I can't give you any worthwhile advice."

"I'm not really looking for advice at the moment. When I am, you'll be one of the first I talk to."

The first person was going to be Tamee. She had seen everything go down and knew exactly what he was going through. Between her own ignorance of the subject matter, and his poor mental health at the time, he hadn't managed to learn much from her. She had handled his outbursts well, though, and showed no signs of resentment for it. She had even agreed to lay off the topic until Alan felt himself ready. If Akilatjin really was going to stick with him for a while, he might have to tell her about Tamee. It would be too hard if she was always around.

The rest of the trip was spent with long stretches of silence, punctuated with short stories about their past exploits. Alan had a much vaster history to pull from, both in the tutorial and back on Earth, but Akilatjin made up for it with her self-aggrandizement. The sun was still several hours from rising, so the town was mostly empty. With classes came less need for sleep, but old habits died hard, and it was still useful for the body to rest.

Finding a place to sleep might prove a challenge. His goto spot was the inn he had once worked at, but everyone would be asleep and he didn't want to wake them. He would have a similar problem at some of his other choices, the mayor's house and the adventurer boarding house. Alan chose the lesser evil and they made their way to the village hall. As the owner of the village he had a key to the front door.

Once they went inside, Alan relocked the entry and then took out a bedroll for himself, along with a pillow. His camping game had improved immensely since his first day here. Thinking back to SERE school, this was a dream. He wasn't alone anymore, however.

"What can I set up for you for bedtime?"

"Do you have another one of those large pads?"

It turned out that he had a few sets of camping gear. Now that his pockets were filled with gold, figuratively speaking, he had made sure to purchase plenty of extras for some of his more important gear. Once the two of them were set up, they both lay down to catch what rest they could.

"Akilatjin, how much sleep do you need?"

"Need? A few hours a day is more than enough. But why limit yourself when you could spend most of the day in sweet blissful slumber. Sadly, this body is not yet ready to indulge me in such somnolent behavior. I will be fine by the time the sun rises."

It was amusing to hear such lazy thoughts from her, since she had previously complained about a lack of challenge. She truly was a youngling, and didn't know what she really wanted yet. It would be important for Alan to remember that she was only a month old. She didn't look it, and the dragon title when she was identified might be intimidating, but Akilatjin was just a kid. A murder crazy, all devouring monster of a kid, but still.

Alan managed to doze for a couple of hours, but then his training woke him up. It wasn't often that he managed to sleep past the sunrise. After his issues in the last dungeon, he had only gotten to get back into the habit of working out in the last few days. It was too early to take a break from that, so Alan did some light stretching and then so tai chi. That and yoga were his favorite morning activities, as they let him do a fair bit of cultivation while he exercised his body. Even though he now had an opal aura, it was important to keep it growing.

Cultivating wasn't enough to level his classes by itself, but they did help improve the efficiency of his energy pathways. This in turn made him a more effective warrior which increased his ability to fight and win battles, and that did help his classes grow. Such improvement to his pathways was agonizingly slow, but zero growth would never get you there, the smallest of steps repeated enough would eventually see the journey's end. Performing a few body sweeps to finish off his routine, Alan sat down to meditate.

"What is that exercise you do?"

"It's a spiritual and physical routine to strengthen my body and my spiritual energy."

Silence ruled again and Alan was able to get back to meditating. Briefly.

"It looked interesting, like a slow motion dance, or maybe a fight."

Sighing, Alan answered. "A lot of people on my world, or I guess from what used to be my world, thought the same way. However, some masters of tai chi are quite effective fighters. It's not where I derive most of my technique from, but the movements are generally good for long term health and spiritual wellness. The meditation portion is important as well."

And with that Alan once more sank into his own body, feeling his place in the universe.

"I kind of wish I could try it. I may not have arms, but maybe I can use my whole body."

Akilatjin started swaying her body through the air. With a sigh he gave up on his attempts at meditating and watched her attempts. Her initial movements looked more like a cobra being charmed, but after a few suggestions from Alan, she actually began to mimic some of the positions well. She was right that without arms it wasn't the same, but it still had the appearance of Tai Chi. Rather than mock her attempts, which wouldn't help their relationship along at all, he chose to praise her efforts. And who knew, maybe this would give her a sense of discipline if she kept it up.

The sun was just rising when Alan locked the door to the hall after they had packed up and made their exit. It wouldn't do his aura of mystique any good if people knew he was crashing on the floor like a bum. Instead he took Akilatjin to the inn for breakfast. The only other time she had been in the village had been during, and then right after, the Village Raid. Her only means of communication had been a limited telepathic link with Thadrick, and so she hadn't gone into any of the buildings.

Cook, the chef at the inn who had taught Alan much of what he knew about cooking, had been awake for a little while and came out to greet him when they arrived. There were a few other early risers in the small village, and a fair percentage of them got breakfast here. It still wasn't enough people to warrant an actual waitress, so Cook served double duty. When she spotted Alan and his exotic companion, she gave him a large hug and then chatted for a bit before heading back to make sure nothing burned.

Unbeknownst to Alan, Akilatjin was taking in everything that happened, especially the way people reacted to him. She wasn't quite as sour with him as before, and seeing how well others regarded him was helping move the needle even farther. The meal that Cook brought her helped as well.

Eggs were now a part of some people's diet. The chicken population was growing, with only a few of the animals being sacrificed for eating, but there still weren't enough for everyone to have some. The inn, however, had been a major source of food for many people almost since the day it opened, and so they always had some. Cook happily prepared a large helping for the two of them. Akilatjin ate them quickly and looked sadly at her plate when they were gone. Alan slid some of his own portion off his plate and onto hers. Magical attunement rituals might be crossing a line, but good old manipulation should still be fair game.

"I could put on some serious growth if I could eat like this all the time. We should come here more often."

Alan smiled at her, but had to tell her the bad news. "This village is still relatively new, and it wouldn't be right to eat so much of their limited resources. A meal here and there should be fine, but I can cook us our own food."

"The meal last night was acceptable. If you can maintain that level of cuisine then I will agree to that."

It was a little jarring to hear such imperious statements coming from what was basically a giant worm. If Akilatjin had been in her true dragon form then it wouldn't have been nearly as incongruent.

"I'm glad you find my efforts tolerable. Come now, let's make our way to the hall. Roger should be making his speech in a little while, the one starting today's events. I also need to be there to explain about the slaves we'll be bringing in."

"Oooo, you're getting slaves? What kind, what will they be for? Are any of them for eating?"

Alan didn't want anyone else overhearing even just one side of the conversation they were about to have, so he replied mentally using their bond. "Akilatjin, people are not food. At least not unless they are enemies. Also, these people won't really be slaves. They were captured by other people and are being sold. We will buy them and then give them their freedom."

The young dragon looked like she wanted to talk about that more, but at that moment the door opened and Thadrick walked in. He scanned the room and when he caught sight of Alan he made his way over. He did a small double take when he saw the worm at the table with him, but the dwarf recovered almost instantly.

The dwarf was grinning by the time he got to their table and spoke. "Alan, I heard you were back this morning, and I wanted to see how you were doing. We didn't get to talk much before, at least not just the two of us. And I see you have Akilatjin with you as well, it is good to see you again."

"I remember you dwarf. I appreciate your efforts at translating before." Alan could hear her thoughts, even though they were clearly directed Thadrick's way.

"By aluminum's silvery sheen, that still takes some getting used to. Is this truly your friend Alan?"

"It is. We aren't exactly sure why she came out the way she did, but this is the little dragon we rescued from the kobolds and dark elves."

"I don't think little's the right word here. She looks downright majestic to me."

Truthfully, to Thadrick she looked like a worm, but he had great respect for worms. They were one of the more feared creatures in the depths of the mountain, but also one that provided the dwarves with access to new mineral deposits. Nothing could move through solid rock faster than a giant worm. He also wasn't going to insult something that identified as a dragon. His mama hadn't raised an idiot.

"I like this one. Alan, maybe he can be our extra person."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked her.

"When we go to the Warrior's Arena, the token allows me to bring another individual."

Akilatjin was still sending her thoughts to both of them, so Thadrick had to ask. "What is this you are talking about?"

"Yeah, I thought you wanted me to be your guide." Alan added.

"I do." Even though her gaze never wavered, Alan could hear the eye roll in that statement. "However, you are my bonded companion, that means you come free. We could still bring another, and I think the short fellow would be a good choice. It helps that he can actually hear me."

"His name's Thadrick." Alan realized he was talking about him as if he wasn't there, but it could be a struggle communicating with the dragon at the best of times. "I'm not sure he would want to go with us, though. He has his own party."

"Can someone help me out here? What are you two talkin' bout?"

Alan explained, with a few comments from Akilatjin, about the token she had won and the opportunity to visit a gladiator arena. It turned out that Thadrick was thrilled with the idea. He wasn't sure he would fight himself, not now that he had switched to healing as his specialty, but it would be a great opportunity to visit the market there, and he could cheer on Alan and Akilatjin when they fought.

The dwarf was eager to set off, and pouted when Alan told him that it would be at least a week before they left. With the whole discussion about the token, they had used up all the time they had for chit chat, so Thadrick left them to join his party before they went to the opening ceremony as well. Alan and Akilatjin chose to go directly there. Despite all the time he spent in the village, it was still remarkable to him how quickly he could get everywhere in the small village. Even growing up in what Earth called a village hadn't prepared him for a settlement that was only a few hundred meters across. With only a stunningly few steps, and undulations, they were back in the town square. It was time to see Roger again.

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