"Foolish humans! Did you dare slaughter my prey?!"
Baro and Arthur rushed inside the cave to protect the subconscious Rosianne. Soon a gigantic yellow, lizard-like eye had blocked the entrance looking at them.
"I asked you humans a question!" Arthur and Baro were on guard, but confused as the monster was speaking.
"Yeah! We killed that Direwolf, leave us alone!" Baro nervously exclaimed.
"I see...why are you in this tiny cave?!" The words of this beast were loud, the breath of the creature created a massive gust of wind. The size of the moster was gigantic, when the monster landed on the peak of the mountain, it caused a tiny avalanche. This was no ordinary beast. This was a mythical beast, exceeding that of an S-class monster.
"D-Dragon! Why have you come here!?" Arthur exclaimed, pointing his sword towards the dragon's eye, instantly recognising such a grand monster from tales that adventurers shared. Of course, he wasn't a hundred percent certain.
"Why do you cower in fear?! Why do you point a sword at me?!" The dragon seemed to become more and more infuriated. The dragon then huffed. "Maybe you humans will like me better in another form..." The dragon's eyes, wings and claws retracted. A huge light appeared, blinding Arthur and Baro.
"Ah! That's better! I much prefer this human form anyway! Haha!" Arthur stepped out of the cave. This transformed dragon had beautiful white hair, with smooth-lookiny skin and her figure seemed flawless.
"That's so much better! I feel so much freer!" She twirled around.
"A girl?!" Arthur immediately covered his eyes, as he placed his robes around her with his free hand. Quickly, Arthur's face became red in embarrassment. "You're naked! Cover yourself!" Arthur made strange noises while he was flustered.
"Calm down, human. Is it not natural to be naked?" She asked in a very serious tone, with a serious glare.
"Of course not! Why would it be?!"
"Ah. I see! I didn't know. My apologies."
"Don't apologise! Just properly cover yourself with that robe!...I should be the one apologising. What even are you?!" Arthur asked still flustered but uncontrollably curious.
"What am I? Isn't it quite obvious? I'm a drago-Ah! I'm a human."
Arthur looked at her with a blank expression, "...You're a dragon, aren't you?"
"HAAH! How did you know? Can you read minds?" This dragon girl was seemingly a little slow in the head.
"No, it's quite obvious, from the tail." Arthur pointed at her tail; she tried to hide it, but it was big and quite obvious. "Don't bother to try and hide it; it's quite fat..."
"It's not fat!" She folded her arms, pouting her face. "Anyways! You're smart for a human; I'll give you that much! Not many humans can see through my perfect disguise! Haha!" She pointed her finger, wearing a smirk on her face. "What's your name, human?!"
"Ehhh~Why should I have to give you my name? Also, it's impolite to ask someone's name without giving your own."
"I see. Then my name is - "
"Transform back into a dragon and let us ride down the mountain!" Arthur rudely interrupted, remembering Rosianne was in a fatal condition.
"Ehhh~Why should I have to do that?" She started to pick her nose with an irritated expression.
Arthur then lurched back a bit with a disgusted face but then swiftly his face changed to a much panicked look, "My friend's in a fatal condition, she'll die if she doesn't get help!"
"Lead me to your friend, I'll heal her." The dragon girl commanded with a determined look.
Arthur grabbed her hand, running inwards into the cave.
"H-H-Hey! Why are you g-g-grabbing my hand?" Her face went red. A feeling struck through her heart. This feeling, which she had never felt before pierced her chest. The dragon girl looked at Arthur, becoming even more embarrassed, "What is this feeling?" She questioned herself. Arthur's thoughts were preoccupied with concerns for Rosianne and he didn't think twice about grabbing her hand.
Rosianne was lying there, breathing heavier, her face becoming hotter. Arthur still felt him grabbing onto the dragon girl's hand. He looked at his hand holding hers, then he looked up at her eyes and saw her cheeks flushed red. "AWAWAWA! I'm sorry for holding your hand!" He quickly let go, embarrassed.
"Yeah... It's fine. Ahem!" The dragon girl held out both her palms towards Rosianne's body. Baro looked at the girl, wary of her.
"Trust her..." Arthur said reassuringly to Baro.
"What makes you trust her?" Baro asked with a concerned look as he stared at the passed-out Rosianne.
"...Not much, but it'd take too long to make our way down this mountain, Rosianne will die if we do nothing."
Baro clenched his fists, his heart was in pain.
"Please...help her." Baro glared at her, putting all his faith in this girl he had just met.
"I will!" The dragon girl replied with a determined look.
「Услышь меня! Лед и ветер приносят помощь. Исцели!」
A warming green light had covered Rosianne and her breathing became much steadier. Her face wore a less pained expression.
"She should be fine now! Her conditions seem to be better now!" The dragon girl put out both her thumbs up pointing each one to Baro and Arthur.
"Ah! Then can you-"
"Enough Arthur. You know it's impossible." Baro stopped Arthur from finishing.
"Yeah... you're right," Arthur replied.
They sat on the cold, rocky floor and both suddenly began to cry, mourning for Craft.
"Why are you crying?" The girl crouched down in front of Arthur.
Arthur tried to recompose himself, wiping his tears.
"My friend died. I was too weak to do anything about it. I broke a promise I made to myself. How can I ever look at his lifeless face? How can I bury his body? How can I ever call myself his friend? I couldn't save him, I was too weak!... He fought and died for us, and I didn't do the same for him." He let out all his feelings onto a girl he had just met, while tears streaked down his face.
"Wipe your tears, human! It's pathetic! He died for you to live on. To enjoy life! Bury him and live for him!" Her words were blunt but true. Arthur shed his last tear and got up, facing Craft's lifeless, half-eaten body and his face naturally pained at the sight. He waved his hand, and the ground hollowed out to bury Craft. Baro had come, looking at the burial taking place with a sad expression.
"Baro. Is it all right if he's buried here?"
Baro nodded, unable to get any words out.
He carried him and placed him gently in the hole. With another wave of his hand, the hole filled up.
"May he rest in peace," Arthur spoke out loud. "Dragon girl, can you get us down this mountain? It's time we left. Is that ok with you Baro?" Baro had felt Arthur somehow grow more distant. He wore a serious face and spoke in an icy tone. Something inside Arthur began to change.
"Arthur, are you sure you're ok?" Baro asked, he thought something about him was off.
"Yeah, I'm all right..."