X. There is Nothing like Traveling

"Very well, since we are going to travel to Shairum together, the first thing we must do is chart the ideal path for our journey."

The dragon puts a map on the ground so that the human also observes it and could know the route that he planned to trace.

"Okay, we are here, the green snake pass" he surrounds the route "if we want to get to your beloved home safely. We will have to avoid commercial and busy routes to avoid unnecessary risks."

Ssaull crosses out three routes with an 'X' so that the human would understand that those routes were prohibited

"We will have to avoid the big cities and, since I am an educated dragon, we will also avoid the dangerous realms" he repeats the crossing out of several kingdoms and towns on the map. "And finally we must avoid the conflict zones of this territory. The Walls of Russ is without a doubt a huge no, that simple. With all this and calculating how long it takes us from one place to another, it will take us three full days"

He ended up showing a long line that bent in various areas in a big crooked 'C' and with him smiling as if he had done a great job, but Alexandra's face did not reflect confidence from the traced route.

The human girl takes the map to see it as many times as necessary, she was looking for some short route that could meet the needs of both, but there were none. This only made the routes get longer, this one that was traced by Ssaull was the shortest there was.

"Three days, my fortune must be corrupted" she prayed internally that it was some kind of mistake or cruel joke of the dragon, but her face did not show mocking smiles or a sign of wanting to play at his expense. "Why does it have to be so long?" she returns the map to what the dragon takes it sympathetically.

"Well, what happens dear without scales, you are human. The dragons will see you as a delicious morsel to enjoy, and in my case the racism that I must constantly live for being a skeleton." the dragon smiles in a way that annoyed the human, as if this were a joke or a game for him "Hey, they almost make us like brothers of different species, everyone hates us for the simple fact of continuing to live hahaha"

The dragon lets out a rather annoying laugh, irritating the human girl more and more, she wanted to deny that fact but after a while of talking with him, she began to understand that the dragon was right and both were to some extent despised by the simple fact of existing.

No matter the mood of the group, Alexandra when she showed her face to her fellow dragons, it was as if misfortune accompanied her and everyone wanted to avoid her so as not to have to deal with the human, let alone allow her to show her courage and determination.

"Hey look on the bright side", he lifts the girl's face to look at him "Ssaull's number one life tip, when everyone hates you, you are free of all that pressure that others of you. Many dragons have lost their lives to meet the high and almost impossible expectations, but the marginalized live free and without expecting any of that shit, because nobody expects anything from us haha "

Far from encouraging the girl, what Ssaull had said alone ended up discouraging her even more, she had a goal and although no one supported her, even if she was an only weak human girl, Alexandra would manage to be the first Great Human Dragon in history.

"I want to be a Great Dragon" the dragon could not hear from his laugh what the human said, so he stops and asks him to repeat it "I will be a Great Dragon!" he yelled at him to make sure he heard her well. She expected some laugh or offensive comment from what he said, but the dragon didn't, he just looked at her with a serious and threatening expression.

"Oh my girl, usually a Great Dragon is taken as a title very seriously, that being said."

She walks cutting the distance between him and the human, Alexandra tries not to be intimidated by him, although inside she felt a little nervous.

"That you, a soft human and inferior to the dragons say that is as if you insulted us with your great stupidity" with one hand lifts the human out of the neck of the dragon skin that was part of her armor.

"I'm not trying to insult anyone, I just want to be like my mother, Magarai the Greater Dragon of the oceanic." Ssaull suddenly released the human with an expression of maximum surprise, which confused the girl.

"Magarai?" he asks with a slight unease in his voice "Magarai the dragon who murdered several warriors of the anarchist guilds and fought against more than fifty winged dragons by herself, she cut the tails and wings of those dragons sending them to suicide. Magarai the Greater Dragon? " the human-only nodded to which the dragon placing a hand on her snout, she begins to walk from one side to the other it seemed that she was thinking of something.

"Don't tell me that it scares you to know that my mother is Magarai" she says with a mocking tone at the action of the blue dragon.

"Being afraid of her is impossible," he looks at the human with a smug and satisfied face again. "If I'm honest, I am surprised that she is your mother" the human girl is not surprised by such a comment, since she can remember, many dragons reacted in the same way as the blue one when Magarai told everyone about her human son.

"You know" the dragon surrounds the girl with its tail to bring her closer, "if you had told me before that your mother was Magarai, I would have offered you a better deal for our trip" this only made the human feel somewhat uncomfortable by those sudden attitude changes, first he seems conceited, then surprised, nervous, again conceited and now pleasant. This guy was getting weirder to her.

"Have they told you that you make most of them uncomfortable?"

He thinks about it for a second. "Since I was born, but that's part of the Ssaull the best merchant package." the girl manages to get away from the blue dragon.

The trip continued its course without problem, Ssaull had to be the only driver of this trip because he was a dragon, he had to remind the human about the limits and the importance of respecting them, she already knew the importance of this, which is why the reminder seemed unnecessary. The trip was very boring for her, she tried to meditate to pass the time, she planned her movements for when she was in front of Kuketzi, she did stretching and other things. Although she tried to keep her mind busy and active, she quickly felt bored from doing nothing, at least when she was keeping watch on her first mission she could walk, look around her, and had an exciting fight although it was a blow to the ground. pride of her. Being inside Ssaull's tent without being able to do much was very annoying, she wanted to sit next to him to at least see the way, but the dragon many times refused to avoid attracting attention.

Without realizing it she had fallen asleep, the smooth ride of the wagon, the reassuring silence inside, and the fact that her mind was not active in any activity; in the end, she couldn't help falling asleep. She did not know, in her mind, she thought that she was still awake waiting to get to her home when Ssaull started talking to someone, she simply approached the driver's side and a black tail caught her by the neck pulling her roughly outside. She is speechless when she sees that it was Captain Kuketzi who smiled maliciously at having the human at her mercy, Alexandra quickly looks for Ssaull who seemed to have been beheaded by the same group that had abandoned the human in Rulliam. Despite the uselessness of the situation, the human search the ground for anything to defend herself again manifesting a pathetic side and desperate to survive. In that, she was rebounding. What was wrong with her? Was it a weakness that she had? Did she ever have what it takes to be a warrior? Why was she so afraid?

Before the winged dragon dealt her a fatal blow with her sword, a sudden great rain fell on the human almost drowning her, this caused her to wake up with her face all soaked by what seemed to be water, she sees her again around and the first thing he checks as if she was tied up. Luckily for her, this time no one tied her up while she slept, letting out a sigh of relief and putting his hand to her chest, grateful that it was all a dream.

"You know, it moves you a lot when you sleep. It's annoying and not fun at all." Ssaull clarifies putting a bucket aside.

"Did you see me sleep?" she asks as she wiped her face.

"Basically yes, but it's because you were making pleading noises and I thought you went crazy" he sits in front of her "Do you want to talk?"

The girl shakes her head, she did not have to talk about anything with someone she hardly knows, they were not very close and the only one to whom she would open her anguish and sorrow would be her best friend Kaipo.

"Hey girl, I know that is not my interest, and believe me, I am very aware that I do not gain anything by talking to you. Even so, I am here trying to be a good host and give you a little wisdom, only if you are willing to receive it, you are still free to do whatever you want as long as you don't bother me "

"Do you want to help me?" she seemed to doubt even his good intentions.

"I give you my word that I will not charge you, I am just trying to be nice to a poor little girl who is far from home" Ssaull planned to get up and do other things until the human takes off her helmet and sits on the ground in front of him.

Despite the doubts and insecurities, Alexandra tried to think if she should speak or not, she takes a little breath to gather her courage.

"There is so much in my head that I don't even know where to start," she notices as the dragon hands a cup of tea with his cola, it had a pleasant aroma.

"You have my word that you can trust me. There is nothing in the tea" he takes a sip himself showing that it was not dangerous "You can start where you feel most comfortable."

She looks at the tea for a few seconds but does not drink it, not after what happened with Kuketzi.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but someone already cheated on me with drinks and preferred not to drink anything that I hadn't made. you can understand. " She clarifies courteously.

Ssaull brings the cup to him and begins to take it calmly, this felt to him like a meeting of old friends who were talking about their hobbies and the time that passed between the last time they spoke.

"Listen, Alexandra, you feel bad about what happened to those whom you considered as companions and possibly friends who have betrayed you. Right?" he sees the girl nodding sadly. "It is very common for many who have experienced betrayal to become more distrustful of others, especially those who almost cause your possible death," said the dragon as he began to drink his tea to relax him.

"It's horrible" she looks at the dragon. "I know that I am a different creature from you, dragons have always remembered me more than I want to remember. Even so, I have tried hard, fought as much as any dragon or even more"

Even though she wanted to avoid feeling vulnerable and crying, her eyes betrayed her by releasing some tears.

"Alexandra" Ssaull watched the human's pain.

"I'm human, I know, that means I'm very weak compared to dragons." She lifts her legs to rest her chin on her knees. "But look at me here, I'm struggling and trying to fit in to be part of a community that doesn't even care if I'm dead or alive except my mother and my best friend."

Alexandra felt abandoned, it seemed that that experience of almost dying because of her companions had affected her more than she knew and Ssaull realized it, the feeling of a betrayal by those you trust is usually very painful.

"If it's any consolation, they hate you for being human nothing more, but for me, being hated is a lifelong thing, all because we have a breath that affects their senses less ourselves, all because we have more connection with the dead and incidentally we master the language of the ancestors better than the winged ones "comments the dragon with a melancholic smile causing her to look at him with a certain empathy.

"How crazy, a dragon race that is as hated as I am" she mockingly comments.

"At least you have a mother and a friend who love you, but the skeletons are alone living as scavengers and traveling scammers, it is almost a stroke of luck if we manage to find towns and lands that exploit us just to let us have a roof over our heads," The dragon notices how Alexandra observes him with empathy before the situation of him and his race. "Please avoid the pitying looks, I am a strong dragon, I do not need your compassion."

"Because I'm human right?"

He stands up showing a proud posture worthy of all dragons regardless of their race.

"Not at all, I am a Greater Dragon, the first and perhaps the last of my race, I will not let anyone see me as a mediocre or inferior being, that is why I do not accept that they see me with pity"

Alexandra took a quick look at her clothes, she did not look like someone who carried the great honor of a Great Dragon title, instead, the image of that dragon was of a scammer and untrustworthy vagabond.

"It's funny that you say you're a Greater Dragon and you don't look good, like one" she comments a little more calmly with her partner.

"A saying that I adore from humans is never judging a book just by looking at the cover, even if it doesn't seem like it, I'm a Greater Dragon or at least I was in his past"

"You know so much about humans and you have things about them that I would like to know too, so please Great Dragon Ssaull, I need you to tell me more about my people" she begs to bow in respect to the blue dragon. He thinks about it for a bit before answering.

"I propose a small deal. You help me with something and I will gladly give you what you ask"

He extends her hand to then be shaken by her, Alexandra did not hesitate. If she ended up dead before reaching Shairum, she would at least find out a little about her people and her origin. And why not, the human girl was already beginning to gain confidence in Ssaull, she just hoped not to regret it.