Hallvar was certain the dragon Ilyna intended for them to eat at the table like a human would, but after picking up the fawn and summoning Queenie with an internal nudge and a few loud noises, it was just easier to set up camp in the food garden.

The tidy corner of beetroots was thoroughly tilled by kjerrborn tusks, as was the section of carrots and parsnips. In fact, Queenie sat next to a pile of carrot greens, having munched all the sweet roots and now returned to eat the leafy bits as a snack.

Hallvar was careful to mind the children, to make sure that none of the little menaces ate more than their fill, nor did the beastmaster allow them to trample the garden.

The fawn was munching on a beetroot placed in front of it, along with a carrot and a bunch or two of lettuce – which was very difficult for Hallvar to harvest with opposing sets of tusks, by the way.

Pipkin was off doing her own thing. She discovered that there were insects by the water source and among a compost pile hidden behind the garden, which was more than enough food for her.

Hallvar thought they'd even caught sight of Kamin sneaking amongst the trees, but the little beast was fast and nearly silent as he stalked insects too.

The hero waited until Queenie was done eating and taking a nap before they gathered their own food, changing back into human shape so that they didn't completely decimate the garden with their appetite.

There were fruit trees here, all curiously in season despite their differences. Hallvar only picked from the branches when Queenie was asleep so that the kjerrborn would not be tempted to try it on her own, as her weight and claws would absolutely destroy the bark and lower branches.

Between fruits and the vegetables that would sit well when eaten raw, Hallvar had plenty to eat.

They offered an apple to the fawn, who practically nipped their fingers trying to get a bite.

It was funny. Hallvar was sure that deer fawns were designed to freeze when confronted with entities that were not their mother. This one was uncertain and scared at first, but he warmed up when offered food and persistent presence.

He fell asleep on the ground while Hallvar finished a peach-like fruit, thinking about how it would be weird to adopt an injured deer for their beastmaster work, given that the deer wouldn't be useful in combat.

They made a little game out of stacking peach pits to see how tall the tower could go. At a count of 5, Hallvar was impressed.

It came crashing down when a whip-like motion passed over the bridge of their nose in the near distance, jolting Hallvar's hindbrain into the realization that something was in their blind spot.

They flinched. Fuck, that startling fear would never go away.

It was Ilyna's tail.

Without a word, she motioned for Hallvar to follow, leading them to the far end of the greenhouse that narrowed into a dark, winding passage underground.

This was really difficult for the half-blind human, as Hallvar couldn't judge distance whatsoever with such twisting and narrow passageways. They bumped from one wall into the other as they inched along, hearing Ilyna easily traverse this path in front.

"Sit," she spoke as soon as Hallvar felt the room open up.

It was pitch black, so dark that [skill: chimeric] couldn't enhance their sight. It went beyond night vision into a lack of the ability to see.

Ilyna conceded that the human required help; she had no difficulty judging the space by her thermal vision and landwise abilities.

The beastmaster felt a hand close on their arm, gentler than before, and they were led to a small, padded blanket on a slight wooden frame, covered in pillows.

"You must remain still for surgery," the dragon stated, her voice echoing in this strange, dark chamber. "I intend to reopen the scar and use magic to make alterations that I could not otherwise do with my hands."

Hallvar was startled by the concept of surgery. She only mentioned treatment before. But it sounded like her magic was the equivalent of those robots that surgeons could use to work in tiny, tiny spaces.

"Is– is this required?" They were hesitant, mostly because this was a dragon and their day hadn't started with either meeting a dragon or facial surgery on the to-do list. "I'm not rejecting it. I just want to know more, I guess?"

Ilyna sounded bemused. "If you want my expertise, yes, it is required. Your eye is gone. This will not restore it. However, it will reduce the pain you may feel for years to come."

Right. Hallvar knew this type of injury came with permanent issues.

Some mention of duskscale by Viktor led to a casual comment about Anton needing it too. He was missing his eye from trauma; Hallvar had a similar damage and more, given that their face was heavily scarred from the incident.

Phantom pains. That burning sensation.

"Why?"

The question left Hallvar bluntly, without thought for what it really asked. This strange bed-pallet in total darkness felt like one of those sensory deprivation chambers and it was already unnerving.

"… I will graciously assume you reference my intentions, not questioning why you should reduce the pain."

"Ugh, yeah, sorry. I didn't really mean to say it–"

The hero cleared their throat, choosing to stumble into the next sentiment while the dragon's face was completely hidden and no judgement could be seen.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"–but it's weighing on me. You're a dragon. You've clearly got some… good thing going on in Staareaux where you don't need the help of one random human. You could find others. So? Why me?"

There was a flurry of soft movements around the small room. It took a few seconds to realize how fundamentally impossible those noises were for a human to make given how far apart they were.

The dragon's voice pressed into their mind soon after, as she settled into a more comfortable position.

"Why did Rodu pick you?"

Uh, good question.

"Potential, I think? He told me right before I had to deal with an assassin, a gryphon attack, saving Queenie, and then being hunted across the continent. I know it was said before he gave me that mark – which you can see right? – so I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

"He said as much, yes. He noted that you attract power through your high luck, or so he hypothesized."

Hallvar tried to connect those statements. Their own summary was hardly academic.

"So, I'm just lucky?"

Ilyna made this coughing chirp that resonated around the chamber. A dragon's laugh.

"Is that how you see yourself?"

The dragon could sense the blood rush to the hero's face as they grew embarrassed at the question.

"No, I mean… I don't know how I see myself. With one eye, that's obvious." Hallvar awkwardly laughed at their stupid joke.

"But I've completely changed appearance. How I interact with strangers is different now due to my new physical features. I'm stronger in my abilities but also less human at times. It's hard to pin down what or who I am so I've been rolling with the kjerrborn sentiment that no one will bother me, so why should I worry?"

Ilyna let the silence sit for a while so that the hero could consider their statement. I'm just lucky, why worry about it?

"I've witnessed you take on the form of a qittakākom and a kjerrborn. You are not merely lucky. You are intriguing because your luck has aligned you with the exact beasts and people you need to accentuate your natural features."

Hallvar leaned onto their elbows to get away as they felt the dragon grow close, her breath like a burst of hot air near their face.

"You lack charisma. Others do not approach you because they think you fulfill their desires on a base level, whether that is physical or the social aspect of charisma."

Ilyna spoke from experience, given her tendency toward nudity and general beauty.

She moved back, giving Hallvar breathing room again.

"You are curious and playful like the qittakākom – even in the face of a dragon, as you said, you still find time to laugh and ask questions. Most would not dare to speak beyond the expected prompts and responses."

Yeah, well, being adopted by an assassin and learning the nice librarian that decided you're his grandchild was actually a dragon did some weird shit to you.

"With your change in appearance – which is the eye, I suspect? – you have unintentionally adopted an aspect of a kjerrborn. You are imposing. Rugged, if we are to use polite terms. But like the kjerrborn, you exist outside of the predator-prey dynamic humans tend to apply to beasts."

That… sounded like a compliment. Rugged was much better as a descriptor than pirate-viking, regardless.

"Together – the low charisma, the curiosity, the rugged nature – you have shown yourself to be enduring and willing to persevere happily despite how the world has changed you, hero. That is intriguing to authority and those with power."

Ilyna didn't say her final sentiment. That a lucky person who could not be broken was a tool the system would use as much as it could.

The hero sighed, releasing a tension they didn't know they were holding.

So luck had a lot to do with it, but the Dragon Ilyna, at bare minimum, was looking far, far past the concept of luck and into who Hallvar was as a person.

That was… heartening. Or something. It was hard to process.

"Thank you," they said quietly.

Ilyna didn't acknowledge it, choosing to move on.

"The quest I require you to complete will suit you well. It is simple yet has consequences if I do not enlist the help of a human."

A clawed foot pressed against Hallvar's chest, activating a new round of parasympathetic responses in which Hallvar froze.

The mere act of Ilyna forcing them to lay down was terrifying. As a nude human, it would be a different fear. Fear-ousal, perhaps.

But the dragon's foot was as large as their ribcage, maybe larger. It was hard to tell in the dark.

"Rodu is right; You do have potential. I will offer you this – complete the quest and you will get my blessing."

Oh, wait. That was something Hallvar needed for the system draconic event thingy.

"What's the–"

"Silence and listen, nosy human. If you have another beast to choose for your shapechanging, let it be a patient one."

The hero closed their mouth quickly, pinching the inside of their lip with their fangs by accident.

"I will explain the quest in full after you are done with this surgery. You may choose then. Your cooperation does not affect my desire to fix your eye."

Ah, no blackmail, no riddles. This was nice.

"You must remain awake but not move during the surgery. You may choose between a sedative spell or an herbalist tea that will have strong mental effects. Both will remove the sensation of pain, but you will feel pressure."

Having learned their lesson about interrupting, Hallvar waited for the dragon to continue.

"Pick the choice that puts you most at ease. I recommend the tea despite its extreme side effects. It is a vision-inducing remedy only I can offer, as the components of the tea are poisonous individually."

"Side effects?"

"Your awareness will be altered to an extreme degree for up to a week, but it may bring you enlightenment now."

Hallvar nodded, despite the dark. "Okay. The tea, then."

The Dragon Ilyna found herself hesitant now. Had the human conceded so easily, without the full information provided? Certainly no one was like Rodu in his thirst for knowledge, but certainly there was more to be known about a reality-altering concoction that a dragon requested you drink.

"It is not a convenient enhancement of the attribute; your awareness will become a stressful vigilance."

The hero laughed once more. "I've been a bird. I know what that feels like."

Despite Ilyna's blunt demeanor, she was unfamiliar with people who were so lax in how they caved to her demands. The ones who did so out of fear, yes. She understood that response.

But truly, the beastmaster was a curious one.

"Have I somehow gained your trust, for you to not ask why the tea was my sole recommendation?"

Hallvar rubbed the bristles on the back of their neck, grimacing then laughing in the dark. Their response was stupid, and they knew it.

"This is a lot of work to try and trick me in the last moment, when you could have easily taken me out on the mountainside when you swooped into my blind spot. But–"

Here comes the dumb part.

"I, uh, I'm getting accustomed to some notoriety, I guess? Or at least, that I've been claimed by certain people who others don't want to piss off. You seem like a well-meaning physician-dragon; I don't want to understate that. But, uh, if you were more feral or had worse intentions… you said it yourself, I'm Rodu's grandchild. Why would you want to annoy Rodu?"

The cough-chirps were loud and continuous, like listening to a high-pitched kookaburra with a smoking habit.

At least Ilyna thought they were funny.

She gained her composure, giving one last comment as she set a ceramic jar of liquid onto their stomach, waiting for the hero to grab it. "If the tea works as planned, I will not have to explain the quest. Good luck."

It tasted like every terrible herbal concoction Hallvar tried in their old world, mixed. Earthy valerian, the skunk of weed, jasmine tea left to stew for hours and grow bitter, those mushroom teas that people claimed were identical to coffee in every way possible.

"Oh, I should have peed first," the hero mumbled as they laid down.

The psychoactive properties would be slow to build, but the paralytics were quick. They dulled Hallvar's senses so that they noticed pushes and movements around their head, but no such clarity that normal function would bring. Everything was numb.

This was why the operating chamber was in complete darkness. With the patient awake but paralyzed, about to enter a visionary state that was easily influenced by suggestion, the last thing anyone wanted to see was a 12-foot dragon inches from their nose.

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