65_Necessary Evil

Hmm, 'you seem pretty sturdy for a mule...' Herman said as he examined the miniature mountain of building tools, various equipment, food packages, and million and one other things neatly packed in various pouches and packs among the unusually large mule's body.

'Yeah, I do get that a lot, but don't worry, Expedition leader Herman. I can carry much more than this without a problem.'

To Expedition leader Herman's surprise, the mule didn't seem to have any trouble carrying all that. If anything, it hopped around in excitement, wanting to carry even more things.

'Hmm... I guess you are pretty high-level mule,' Herman mused.

'Also, you can call me just Herman. I never was much for formalities, and neither are any of my other companions,' Herman said.

'A-alright, sir... I mean, Herman.' The beast fumbled awkwardly.

'Well, in any case, I am glad we got you helping us. Welcome aboard... by the way, what is your name?'

'I am ZAGAROS the Destroyer!' The mule growled, his meek voice disappearing for a second.

'But everyone on this planet calls me Zagy.' The mule sheepishly added, his normal voice back.

'This planet?' Herman questioned, surprised at the unusual level of insight from the mule.

'Aren't you supposed to be, you know, an NPC? Do you actually know where and what you are!?' He continued with eager fascination.

'NPC? I am not sure what that is. I and all other dragons here have been hatched back on our homeworld in System-integrated space. This is just our nursery,' Zagy explained.

'Wait, what? What do you mean you are...'

'Father father father!' Zagy exclaimed, putting a stop to Herman's questions and proceeding to drop his proxy illusion and stomp right through Herman.

'Gah!' Herman cried out as the mule they hired suddenly metamorphosed into a truck-sized green dragon, and unceremoniously pushed him to the ground and stomped over him.

'Hi dad! How are you doing? Is that for me, can I see, can I see?' The excited adolescent dragon shot in a rapid barrage of words, circling around his dad akin to an overly excited puppy.

'There there, Zagaros, calm down, calm down,' Sharo said with a wide grin and a chuckle. The sight of his only son being happy to see him brought genuine joy to the old warrior's heart.

'Here you go! These are freshly baked kiflas with blueberry jam, your favorite!' The father declared triumphantly, opening the bag with loot for his son to see.

"Uuuu, gimme, gimme!" Zaggy blurted as he smooshed his snout inside the bag and frantically rummaged inside it. Eventually, he pulled out the treats and immediately gobbled two of them at one go. Then, just before he could attack the other two, he stopped himself and hesitated.

"Oh, um, these two are for you, Dad," the dragonling said as he shyly wiped a blob of jam from his mouth. Then, he nudged the remaining pastries with his snout towards his father.

Sharo looked down at the offerings with a complicated look. It was such a thoughtful gift, but... his kind weren't supposed to share. Dragons hoarded, not give away. Yes, he had given the treats away, but that was because he was his father. A typical young dragon would never share with anyone. This was just another proof his son was different...

"Thank you, Zagaros. It is very thoughtful of you to think of your old man..." Sharo finally said, after a few tense seconds where Zaggy started to worry that, yet again, he had done the wrong thing.

As soon as the words came out, Zaggy beamed with a genuine smile. He rarely got things right, but that only made the few little times he did more precious.

"Nom!" Sharo popped the two pastries in his mouth at once. "So, nom nom, what is the deal with all the equipment?" The elder beast said as he chewed on the treats, waving one claw at the various bags and harnesses strapped around his son's body.

"Oh, you noticed!" Zaggy beamed.

"I got a new job as a pack mule! See, I even got the ears for it." The dragonling said with excitement, waving his head around and making the plush mule ears strapped to his head dangle with the movement.

"T-hey, look n-nice... cough cough!" Sharo managed to blurt out before choking on a piece of pastry, the sight of his single and only son wearing fake herbivore ears being too much for him to handle.

"Dad, Dad! Are you all right?" Zaggy cried in concern, running around his coughing father in distress, unsure what to do.

"Gragh! Khm khm... I am fine, son, don't worry." Sharo finally said.

"So... um... you want to be a pack mule now?" The dragon carefully inquired, being very careful not to raise his voice or show any disapproval.

"I do, I do! But... aren't you mad?" The youngling said excitedly, then appearing somber as he realized he had perhaps revealed too much.

"I... um, no, no, you know that I will always support you no matter what. But still, have you thought of what we spoke about earlier..."

"You know... your System initiation day is approaching, and the System wouldn't give you a good class if you don't try your hardest and focus on a single thing... I know that you dislike fighting, but..." The father hesitated, unsure if it was wise to approach the sensitive topic yet again...

"You know, Zagaros... the world is a cruel and dangerous place, and I won't always be around to protect you..."

"Oh..." Zaggy's ears drooped down, and he averted his gaze away from the imposing figure of his father.

"I, I know, Dad... I just, I just want to try new things. There are so many interesting classes and professions the system provides. I don't want to limit my options with only a few classes at a time. The more things I try now, the better my options will be," the teenager reasoned.

"That is true... However, if you do not concentrate all your efforts in the thing you are best at, you will never get offered a legendary class or better."

"All of your sisters had chosen what they want to do since hatchlings, and have trained mercilessly for their chosen class. Every single one of them now has amazing abilities and prospects for the future."

"I know, Dad... I just... I don't want to do the same thing for countless eons. The mere idea of being trapped like that seems unbearable to me..."

"But... if you want me to pick a warrior's class... I guess I could do it for you... Just say the word..." Zagy said, drooping his head down in supplication and gently nuzzling the leg of his father.

"Sighhh..." Sharo sighed, memories of so long ago when his own father was confronted with a similar situation resurfacing.

"Zagaros... Zaggy... I will never force you to do something you do not want. I just want you to succeed in life, not having to be scared of anyone or anything," Sharo said gently, leaning in to hug his son.

...

The duo talked a bit more after that, Sharo showing interest towards Zaggy's new job ,and eyeing his employers, but not approaching to talk to them. The old beast was glad they stood politely at a distance. This time was special, only for him and his son, and it seemed that the people around them noticed that, and kept their distance. Besides, Sharo did not want to hear their empty words or platitudes. Words were cheap, actions meant so much more.

After a few short minutes, Sharo made his excuses and wished his son the best. It seemed he was on the right path after all. Securing an internship with the person responsible for the destruction of the Great Firewall, was something every other hatchling in Generica would envy. It was a unique opportunity for any dragonling to grow and advance, and he was glad that his son had somehow managed to snatch the position from all the competition.

With that, Sharo left the scene. He quickly rushed away, zigzagging through the streets of Fencetown until he found a quiet, dark alley with nobody around. Making sure nobody was watching, the dragon used his metamorph skill once again, this time pushing it to its very limits. The truck-sized beast shrank, smaller and smaller, until he was the size of a rat.

"Kekeke!"

A technodemon imp lunged for the miniature lizard, thinking him an easy snack, only to get instantly disintegrated by a concentrated beam of fire. Being small, if anything, made the mighty dragon warrior even stronger. He was more agile and able to concentrate his power even more.

He couldn't sustain this form for long, but it would be enough to observe how these employers of his son acted with him when no one was looking.

___

While Sharo was there, the other dragons near the stables had gathered around the duo and slowly circled them like hungry sharks. They dared not approach lest they suffer the wrath of the clan elder, but once he was gone, everything was fair game.

"Oh, um, excuse me..." Zaggy mumbled, his head bowed down, his eyes at the ground, his ears drooped.

"And where do you think you are going?" Said an adolescent dragon from the crowd. Two of his minions followed beside him.

At the sound of his biggest tormentor's voice, Zaggy's legs acted on their own and rushed to go past the trio. Though it seemed that this move was predicted, as the bullies quickly closed the path of escape.

"So you were the one to take away the prize!" Goldie, the head bully and biggest of the three, said. Puffing his chest, his head raised high in the air above Zaggy. Exposing his neck was a calculated move and direct offense in dragon culture. It meant that Goldie thought of Zaggy as harmless, unable to take advantage of the vulnerability and clearly not to be taken seriously.

"We have been hunting down the bald human for days. Ever since he destroyed the firewall, we knew that he was the one. An internship with such a powerful native would raise our own prestige."

"How did such a small and pathetic loser such as yourself steal the prize from us?"

Instead of answering, Zaggy tried once again to flee, but collided with Goldie as the dragon halted his escape once again.

"You dare touch me! ME? Do you know who my mother is? You should be grateful I speak of you at all. And how do you repay my generosity!? By daring to strike me?!"

"You did see it, didn't you guys?" Goldie asked his two bulky, red-colored henchmen, who were nodding, silently grinning with razor-sharp teeth, eagerly anticipating the upcoming confrontation.

"I... I didn't mean to. I I am sorry..." Zaggy mumbled, his eyes still refusing to meet his tormentor's gaze.

"Are you now..." Goldie mused, an arrogant smirk on his face.

I suppose I could be merciful. As recompense for your offense, you will go over there and tell the bald human that you made a mistake. You will relinquish your internship position and let me and my two friends go in your place.

“It is only natural, after all. We are bigger, smarter, and better than you in every way," Goldie said, rising to his full height as he and his two companions physically pushed the subdued dragonling around.

"B-but they chose m-me..."

"Are you contradicting me?! Do you want to be taught a lesson? Do you!? Might makes right, that is the only irrefutable law in the universe. We are better than you, so we will take what we want, and there is nothing you can do about it," Goldie declared, followed by a cheerful laugh from him and his henchmen.

...

A miniaturized inferno blazed from a ventilation shaft of a nearby building, the metal walls and fans melting under the intense fire. There, the rat-sized and very, very angry Sharo watched his son get harassed.

He had long ago suspected something like this was happening out of his sight, and now he had clear confirmation.

And yet... he just stood there, watching how his son was pushed around between his three tormentors. Soon they would get tired from playing with their victim and would resort to a full-fledged fight...

A menacing growl escaped his throat, yet he still refused to move...

Zaggy had to learn this lesson on his own... Sharo knew his son was capable of beating all three dragons combined. He, just as Sharo had shown immense talent for fighting, and had taken well to his father's teachings. No, capability was not the problem here. The desire to exercise this power was the real issue. His heart just wasn't in it. Deep down, Zaggy was a gentle soul. He had never seen a more curious and eager-to-please being. It pained Sharo that today would be the day this gentle and caring soul had to die, but it had to be done. Better now, when the stakes weren't so high, than in the future where he could lose his life.

Sharo knew this to be the practical, logical thing to do... yet it pained him to watch his son suffer, the memories of his own childhood resurfacing.

Was he doing the right thing in letting Zaggy get beaten up and humiliated? Was Sharo doing the same thing as his own father did so long ago, but instead of doing the deed himself, Sharo was just outsourcing the violence to someone else...

"What was he doing?! He had to go and help, screw the consequences!" Just before the grand dragon calamity released his metamorph spell and rushed for his son's aid, he froze in place, seeing an unusual sight.

A bald human stepping to confront the bullies, two of the native metal golems and one of those earth data elementals standing behind him in support.

...

"Human, you should be honored to be in our presence. I am Goldie Embercrest, son of Lady Pyra Embercrest, Baroness of the Moonlit Peaks. And it will be your honor to accept me as your intern," Goldie said as he shoved Zaggy to the side in order to showcase himself and his two minions.

"I told you before, and this will be the last time I say it before I smack you with this fish here," Herman said as he threateningly hefted the shark he held with one hand.

"Get the fuck away from our mule!" Herman declared, Staple and Topo at his side, weapons drawn, while Slippy sneaked away to ambush the dragons from behind.

"You dare challenge us?" Goldie boomed, raising his snout arrogantly in the air, veering his nose up at the earthlings. "I see that people on this miserable planet have much to learn how the rest of the universe works. Once we are done with you, you will be begging me to be your intern."

"Guys, show what happens with mortals who dare insult dragons' honor!"

...

As the fight between the earthlings and the draconic bullies raged on, and the unfortunate native onlookers evacuated the area, Sharo couldn't help but think that things didn't look so bad after all.

It seemed that his son had chosen his companions well.