Arad opened his eyes, looking at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. He could sense it. The people around him were strangers.
He sat up, pushing the bedsheet aside. He looked at the corner of the room and saw Merlin sitting there, reading a book.
"You're awake?" She asked.
"No, I'm asleep." He replied with a passive face. "What happened to Merida?"
"She's in the other room asleep. Even though my potion can restore her body, it didn't work completely on her for two reasons." Merlin lifted her, pulling one finger, "Her body was already starving and didn't have enough energy to heal." She then lifted another finger, "The further the target is from me, in shape and magic, the less effect this potion would have as it's modeled after myself."
Arad stood, looking around, "Where are we?"
"Riverside, the east gate inn. Travel would be hard on the injured Merida, so we stopped here. It's been almost a day." She closed her book and walked toward the window, opening it. "A beautiful city, isn't it?"
"Let's see about that," Arad lifted his hand, and a pigeon flew through the window, landing on his wrist.
"Show me everything about this city," Arad stared at the pigeon's eyes, a purple flash glowing in both of them.
FLAP! FLAP! It flew out of the window, soaring into the sky.
Arad took a look at the city from the sky.
Riverside is a large circular city with a river by its western side. They even have a small harbor. Then, hundreds of images flew through Arad's head as he connected with more animals across the city.
"I see, I see," He said, "The river is connected to the ocean making this place a trade center. Most of Alina's imported goods come from here for that reason."
"You're quick to adjust," Merlin looked at him with a smile, "It's kinda scary," She giggled.
Arad stood, "I'm going out. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Nothing, we're only waiting for Merida to wake up. Feel free to roam the city. As long as you don't cause trouble." She pointed out.
"I'm not a kid," Arad stared back at her.
"You're a kid. And Alcott is an adult yet he already started a fight with a local gang," She sighed, "Don't be like him," She sighed, sitting back to read her book.
Arad opened the door and walked to the hallway. Inspecting the wooden walls as he walked toward Merida's room.
The inn had two stories above ground. And they were on the highest one. He couldn't sense any more people in this story. Something might be up.
CLICK! He opened the room's door and walked inside, looking at the window side bed where Merida slept. Most of her wounds healed, but she still had some broken bones and scars and looked famished.
They can't keep shoving food down her throat, so their only option is to have her eat, sleep, and repeat until her body has enough energy to be healed.
Arad quickly left the room to not disturb her and walked downstairs, slowly starting to hear the ruckus from the tavern.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The moment he walked down, everyone fell silent, staring at him. Even among adventurers, it was rare to see someone as huge as him.
They also remembered when they came, Merlin lifting Arad and Merida with magic like they were bags of wheat. A typical scene is when rookie adventurers try their luck with powerful monsters and end up getting beaten.
Arad pulled one of the counter's chairs and sat, waving his hand at the bartender, "I want something to eat. Meat will do."
The bartender looked at him, "How much, sir?"
"A lot," Arad replied.
"Understood," He went to the kitchen and brought a large blade with five massive tomahawk steaks. "I will get drinks and something else ready," He put the meat in front of Arad and headed back inside.
Arad held the steaks by the bone, munching the meat part in two bites, then crunching the bone whole like biscuits.
The adventurers in the back stared in surprise. They never saw something eat the bones, let alone this fast. And the fact that he crushed them that easily with his jaw, it wasn't hard for them to think it was related to his massive size.
When the bartender returned, the steaks were nowhere to be seen. He wasn't in the kitchen for long, so it was strange.
"Sir, I did bring you steaks, didn't I?" He asked.
Arad nodded, "I ate them, need more," He pushed the plate toward him, "Double, no triple that amount,"
"Heee!" The bartender gasped, "It will take a while to cook them, and those are expensive. Do you really want three servings like that? You don't mean three steaks, right?"
Tap! Arad put his right hand on the left side of the counter, slowly pulling it to the right as gold coins, gems, and jewels rushed out of his palm, filling the counter with a mountain of wealth.
"I can pay. Get me three servings of that. No need to cook them. And if you did, just don't go overboard. Of course, don't forget bread, drinks, and salad, anything that can be eaten. Bring it." SWOSH! He then swept his hand, sucking the treasures back to his stomach.
"Yes, Sir!" The bartender rushed to the kitchen.
To most dragons, expecting them to be unable to pay is an insult. The moment the bartender stated that Arad might not be able to pay, he had to show his wealth.
After a few seconds, the bartender looked out of the kitchen, "Sorry, sir. But how much drink do you want? And what kind?"
"A barrel of whatever you have," Arad replied.
Arad looked over the counter, seeing a large beer barrel with a faucet at the bottom. It's two-thirds filled as the bartender was serving people from it.
Arad extended his hand over the counter and lifted the heavy barrel from its edge. A shocking display of power, but he didn't stop there.
He lifted the barrel over his head and with one hand pulled the faucet out, drinking the whole barrel in a few seconds and then putting it on the counter.
"More," He glared at the bartender.