8. Everen: The Dragon’s Heart

Summary

• The protagonist works at docks to learn about the world of humans, discovers more about human language and observes their minimal use of magic.
• He is disliked by humans due to his quiet and surly demeanor, and he maintains his disregard for the humans as he believes they will all bow to his kind when they return.
• Time passes quickly and the protagonist is worried as he has no plan. Despite being exhausted from work, he continues his search for his target every night.
• One night, a group of humans try to attack him but he defeats them easily, enjoying the action. After the fight, he acquires a knife which he finds useful.
• He quits his work when he has enough coins to keep himself fed and continue his search.
• He is invited for a drink by Gellid, one of the dockworkers. He accepts the invitation, getting drunk and surprisingly enjoying the tavern experience despite the discomfort of all humans around him wearing magical seals.
• Gellid takes the protagonist to another place called “Dragon’s Heart”, and prompts him to engage with a sex worker named Mirel.
• Mirel explains the local human culture in detail, especially how they use sign language to specify gender preferences and signals of respect and friendliness.
• The protagonist declines Mirel’s advances but stays at the brothel due to its comfort and her friendly demeanor.
• Unexpectedly, he experiences severe pain, similar to his initial arrival and his form changes back to preterit.
• Mirel is shocked by the transformation into a dragon, but he leaves quickly as he believes the pain was a sign from his target.