The wooden floor creaked mercilessly under the weight of As pacing back and forth. He seemed to be in some internal struggle, even muttering under his breath. Lux, on the other hand, lounged in his chair, back against the wall and legs on the table... and he too was clearly deep in thought.

I sighed. This was getting a bit dull. They had long since eaten, and I had managed to sneak out for a quick bath - naturally in the river... but they were still acting quite strangely. We were supposed to be solving our mission, not stuck in a room we got at the inn next to the Guild. There were no luxuries, but at least there was a bed - I had to admit, it was quite comfortable, I could get used to it.

"Are you going to keep acting this boring and irrational for much longer? Can you explain why we came here and aren't doing the task we were assigned?"

Finally, I burst out, slightly irritated.

They both froze and looked at me as if they had completely forgotten I was in the room. The nerve! I puffed my cheeks, clearly displeased.

"Are you kidding, kid?!"

Lux looked like he wanted to lecture me as he took a deep breath... but the dragon interrupted him by raising his hand to calm him down. He approached me calmly and crouched down. He did it all with such seriousness that I felt a bit uneasy.

"Lil Flower..."

"You weren't supposed to call me that."

He sighed.

"Omora. You need to understand..."

"I don't have to. Understanding something or not is not a necessity and can't be forced."

I protested. I expected him to snort or make a sarcastic remark, but nothing of the sort happened, which made me consider the seriousness of the situation.

"Omora. Do you know by what law the world is governed?"

The question was quite strange. I frowned, not fully understanding what he meant.

"The world is not a book full of adventures, not a story sung in taverns. The brave knight defeats the monster and returns unscathed to his king, who gives him his daughter's hand in marriage. In the real world, battle means pain, wounds, dirt, and above all... a fight for survival... You want to live, but so do the others... every being wants to live... and when you take that life, you see it leaving the creature. And you're lucky because it's not you. It's all about... either you or them. And very often, 'they' have the advantage."

There was silence for a moment.

"Having magic, wielding a sword, or thinking everything must go our way... that has killed more adventurers than any beast."

Lux added his two cents, and I think I finally understood.

"I discovered something really strange there, right?"

As smiled gently, and for a moment, it seemed as if he looked at me almost tenderly. However, that look disappeared quickly as he glanced back at our new companion and then at me again.

"The truth is, Tarks are harmless creatures that are easy to defeat. They're not smart and are territorial, so they don't let others of their kind in, and even when they reproduce, after giving birth, the parents fight each other to the death. If one survives, the offspring will probably kill it anyway. They're extremely jealous and don't like sharing with each other. They play silly pranks and can be a nuisance to villagers, but they're not dangerous..."

"But?"

"But that's what we know about Tarks that fit the description I gave you. Any deviation from the norm on such a scale could suggest evolution, development, mysterious magic, or who knows what else. Going in blind with the assumption that 'ha, Tarks are harmless, we can handle them' is risky."

"Bravery doesn't mean we should recklessly throw ourselves into danger."

Lux had to share another comment.

I sighed. They were right. I hadn't thought of that... Did I really want to act like some dense humanoid? Am I really that strong? I defeated an attacker once, and now what... I think I can conquer the world? It's a bad approach that could kill me.

"So, what now?"

"I'll tell you because this puffed-up pretty boy has already said way too much... Someone here likes the sound of their own voice, huh?"

The boy stood up from the chair and approached us. I barely restrained myself from bursting into laughter at the look on As's face.

"We need to report our findings to the guild. In such cases, the Guild Master, based on the evidence provided about the mission, performs a reevaluation... A simple mission can turn into a difficult one for many people."

"Could we lose the assignment?!"

I jumped up, nearly toppling the crouching dragon before me, but I ignored that.

"No. The people who made the discovery and undertook the mission always have priority, even if the mission would be too dangerous for us... which I doubt... They might just add more people to the team. From a small group, it could become a real raid. I'll sort this out at the Guild, and you rest while you can. The Master will surely summon us soon to discuss this matter."

He waved goodbye and, without adding anything more, left the room. The door slammed shut quite loudly behind him.

I stood still for a moment, but the sound of As getting up from the floor made me come to my senses. I looked at him.

"What will happen if this whole Master finds my discoveries suspicious?"

"Yeah... I was thinking the same thing. Sit down... Instead of resting, let's practice your version so it sounds more credible than 'I felt' and stuff like that."

The clearly irritated dragon sat down on the chair at the table and glanced at me.

"So... no lounging around then... Let's get to work!"

~As ^^