Morning arrived too early for me. The rooster crowed in the distance, as usual in Tregome. The steady hum of activity began in the courtyard as the students started cleaning up the debris in the broken walls and the collapsed section of the dojo. This was a prerequisite step to fixing the place.

My memories took me back to the last time the school had to undergo repairs. It was when the wererats made an audacious attack on the dojo and dug up a tunnel underneath the building to facilitate this invasion. In the aftermath, I was tasked with clearing the courtyard of dirt and rocks by loading them into a pull cart. Then, as part of my training, Kalistra made me pull the cart to the northern wall, where the material was to be recycled for repairs of the wall. This episode highlighted the absurdity of the values and sensibilities of the people of this gaming world.

Suddenly, I felt someone slapping my face. Gently. I reluctantly opened my eyes and saw a young kid standing before me. It took me a moment to recognize the bright blue eyes and the messy blonde hair--Gendun!

The son of Amelica grinned and then hugged me tightly. "I missed you so much, milord," he said.

I tried to move my arms to return the hug but my limbs felt like stone. It took some effort for the blood to circulate enough for my arms to obey my command. Finally, I was able to hug him back. "Long time no see, my friend." I rubbed his head gently.

"Who's this?" a female voice said next to me.

I glanced to my left and saw that Bila had awakened. "This is Gendun. He is my friend and a student at this dojo."

The cat girl held out her paw. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Bila, a follower of Lord Mulligan," she introduced herself.

The young lad cautiously shook her paw. He gave her a bright smile.

I patted Gendun on the back and then released him. "You need to return to your chore before your instructor scolds you for slacking off," I admonished him.

The boy pouted at the unwelcome reminder. "Are you staying in Tregome?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I have other quests. I will stay at least for the Grandmaster's funeral. Beyond that, I can't promise anything," I answered honestly.

Gendun nodded in acceptance. He understood, somehow, that I was a very important man and I didn't have the time to play with him. "At least visit my mom before you leave. She misses you a lot." He smiled again.

The boy's smile was infectious and I found myself smiling back. It was a very unusual thing for me to do back on Earth. "I will," I promised.

Gendun ran toward the western wall.

"Nice kid," Bila remarked.

"Yes, he is," I agreed. Using the wall against my back as a crutch, I pulled myself up. My back was sore. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too cold overnight or else I would have gotten a cold from sleeping out in the open.

My bodyguard sprang to her feet with an ease that made me envious. "So, what now?" she asked.

I looked in the direction of the middle of the courtyard, where the carcass of Hleandros laid. In front of it was the charred body of Kalistro, with a white sheet covering his body. Neither had been moved. I bowed deeply toward the Grandmaster once more and Bila joined me. "I need to make three visits," I answered her. "First, let's go have breakfast."

"Breakfast? Let's go!" the cat girl said enthusiastically while grabbing my right arm.

I immediately stopped her. "Bila, please don't take this the wrong way, but I must insist that you stop grabbing me. At least while we're in town," I ordered.

Her cat eyes looked at me with disappointment.

"I have a girlfriend named Amelica. She's the mother of Gendun, the boy you just met. I don't want people in town to have the wrong impression of our relationship. Amelica is a waitress at the best inn in Tregome. She is very popular with the patrons. Our relationship was met with tremendous jealousy by many folks here and if they believe that I've been cheating on Amelica, with you, then neither of us will leave this town alive," I warned her.

"I see." Her tone of voice was downright frosty. The cat girl took a big step back and away from me. "Please lead the way, master."

Ouch. I accepted the sudden turn in our relationship with grace. It was bound to happen. I activated my Navigation Sense. The mental map allowed me to navigate through the nearly empty streets. As we passed by the Watch Headquarters, I pointed at the building and said, "That's the destination of my third visit."

Bila looked at the building. She saw the guards standing outside and understood the purpose of this building immediately. When we reached The Noble Lady after walking a few blocks, the cat girl blurted out, "We're going inside?"

I turned around and looked at her with curiosity. "Something wrong?"

"I've heard rumors that this place is run by an Orc. And patrons who go inside don't come back out again," the cat girl replied timidly. Her whiskers and her tail twitched.

I burst out in laughter. "Is that what the common folk in other places think? Okay, I think it's best for you to see with your own eyes." I turned around and marched straight into The Noble Lady. When I walked in, the place turned completely silent.

The patrons in the dining room were staring at me with open awe and curiosity. Someone said, "That's him." "Dragonslayer." Apparently, the word of the dojo's battle with Hleandros and my personal participation in it had spread throughout Tregome already.

A beautiful woman walked up to me. She wrapped her arms around the back of my head and gave me a passionate kiss.

The unexpected and wonderful kiss was elevating my head to the heavens. It stirred something primal deep inside my body. I couldn't help but kiss her back. After all, it was Amelica!

Someone cleared his throat. It sounded like a drumbeat.

Reluctantly breaking the lip-lock, we turned toward the sound of the noise. It was Vern.

"You're on the clock, Amelica. Please refrain from non-work activities until your upcoming break," the orc admonished her.

Chastened and embarrassed, my girlfriend released my neck and took a step back. Her eyes pleaded with me to stay.

I shrugged helplessly. I couldn't make the promise.

Amelica sighed and then returned to the kitchen.

Bila tugged on my arm and pointed her paw. "There's an open table, milord."

I was still staring forlornly at the receding figure of my woman.

The cat girl rolled her eyes and poked me in my right shoulder with her claw.

"-1 Health." Ow! The pain shocked me back to reality. "Um, what did you say?" I asked.

Bila grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the open table near the back. We sat down on the benches, with my back toward the patrons and my bodyguard sitting across the table from me.

Amelica soon returned from the kitchen carrying a tray. She placed a bowl of chicken soup in front of each of us. Next, she placed a small plate with two freshly baked rolls. Finally, she placed a cup of hot honey tea for each person. She smiled at me, nodded politely to Bila, and then walked toward another table.

The hungry cat girl started eating her breakfast. When she was finished licking her bowl clean, she pulled her head back up. "Can I get another bowl?" she asked shyly.

I smiled and raised my hand. Another waitress soon arrived at our table. "I need another bowl of chicken soup please," I ordered while gesturing at my companion.

The lady, whom I never saw before, gave me a big smile. She had bright red hair that cascaded to her shoulder. She wore a modest light brown dress which covered her knees. The belt at her waist revealed a small waistline. She appeared to be a teenager given her youthful appearance. "Yes, milord. By the way, my name is Salisha. I'm a new hire at this establishment. I've heard so much about you from the patrons here, Lord Mulligan," Salisha said and gave me a polite curtsy.

"I'm glad Vern has hired someone to help Amelica with the morning rush," I replied with a slight nod befitting my status as a nobleman addressing a commoner.

She smiled and returned to the kitchen to pass along my order to the cook. Salisha returned a few minutes later and placed the bowl of chicken soup on the table while taking away our empty bowls. I had already finished my own bowl of soup. "Would you like a second serving?" the waitress asked.

I shook my head. I had no clue where the food went in my companion's body. Furthermore, I didn't want to stuff my stomach with breakfast because I couldn't discount the possibility of either the Church or the dojo saddling me with an assignment this morning. Thus, I was better off eating a smaller meal just in case.

I waited patiently until Bila was finished with her soup. Meanwhile, I read my pop-up messages: "Major faction quest COMPLETED. Hleandros SLAIN. +25,000 XP. Title ACQUIRED: Dragonslayer. +20,000 Reputation, +40,000 XP." "Navigation sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP."

It was a good thing that I had finished my meal because I would have spat out the food if I read the notifications while eating. I understood that the dragon was a boss-level monster. But I didn't expect to receive so much experience from defeating it. But then again, aside from myself, the other fighters were Kalistra, Bila, the late Kalistro, and Gurgne. If the experience reward was split equally, then Hleandros was worth 125,000 XP, which was a bit paltry for such a high-level monster.

My reputation bonus was a separate consideration. It was useful in my pursuit of kingship. However, even the feat of killing a dragon would not allow Kalistra and Bila to enter the Church building due to the magic barrier. Thus, not all of us received equal benefits from the enhanced reputation.

In addition, I was not really happy with this extraordinary gain in experience. For the simple reason that it came at the cost of the Grandmaster's life. While Kalistra, his daughter, was the public face of the dojo, the late Kalistro was the steady and calm force guiding the school. I suspected that it was he who pushed Kalistra to throw the dojo behind my bid for the crown. And he was the one who arranged for my training regime with Kalistra. Furthermore, he personally taught me several sword techniques from the school. I was truly indebted to him and I was proud to fight beside him against Hleandros even though I was a human.

The grandmaster's passing will bring extraordinary changes to the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship. I would like nothing more than to remain in Tregome and to support Kalistra as she focused on rebuilding the school. Yet, my mission to unlock the remaining two Ph'laen Ruins will require me to leave town again. Furthermore, as the new Headmaster of the dojo, Kalistra was no longer free to travel with me anymore. When I leave Tregome, I fully expected her to remain behind.

That being said, I realized that Kalistra had been planning for this eventuality. This was why she allowed Bila to journey with me and even coerced the tall cat girl into becoming my follower. Kalistra was grooming Bila to become her successor as my bodyguard and travel companion. Both had sworn fealty to me and therefore, Kalistra was willing to transfer her bodyguard duties over to Bila. And even though Bila was clearly less capable than Kalistra, I was slowly becoming more powerful as a Swordmage and no longer needed to rely as heavily on my bodyguard for my personal survival in this world.

Once Bila was finished with her second bowl of soup, I said quietly, "We need to leave now." I placed 10 silver pieces on the table and rose off the bench. A farmer quickly walked over to our table to claim my seat.

I nodded to him while he bowed deeply to me. I looked around the room and saw that Amelica was taking an order from the other side of the common room. I exited the common room. As I was about to open the door to exit the inn, someone on the other side opened it and blocked my path. I found myself being glared at by Van!

"Just the man I was looking for," the paladin said with a harsh tone of voice. He made no move to leave.

"If you guys are going to fight, take it outside," Vern grumbled.

Without warning, Van grabbed me by my collar and pulled me out of The Noble Lady. He took a few strides to his left and then slammed me against the wall. The window behind my back shattered.

"-4 Health."

The paladin was absolutely furious with me. But I made no attempt to defend myself. I knew that he couldn't do anything worse to me like taking my life. His personal faith, his standing in the Church, and his vow as a paladin to fight evil prevented him from murdering me. I was a high-level member of the Church as well as a servant of multiple Gods of the Law and Order. He could not make a credible claim that I was evil and deserved punishment.

Vern came out of his inn. "I'm pressing charges with the Watch for the property damage," the orc said.

The paladin ignored the innkeeper completely. "Do you know why I'm so upset with you?" Van asked me.

"Because we fought an evil dragon without you," I acknowledged.

The paladin reluctantly released me. "Why did you do that?"

"We were given no choice in the matter," Bila spoke up on my behalf. "Our patron deity, Leonus, appeared to us in the Dream World to warn of Hleandros' impending arrival in Tregome. Kalistra did not want outside assistance to resolve this matter. Leonus agreed and then transported the three of us directly to the dojo, where Hleandros was already waiting for us," she explained in depth.

Van was still angry but no longer at us. He slammed his gauntleted fist against the wall.

"You're paying for that, too," Vern grumbled.

The paladin finally turned toward the orc. He was able to open his mouth to apologize for the damage when he was interrupted.

"You, stand down!" someone ordered.

We turned in unison and saw the angry face of Maisen.

The captain of the Watch was accompanied by a half-dozen Watchmen. They were all glaring at Van. Maisen pointed her finger at him. "In the name of the Watch and the Church, I order you to come with me."

Van took a deep breath. He bowed deeply toward me and Vern. "I apologize for losing my temper. I will pay for the damages to your establishment," he said. He then turned toward Maisen. "I will go with you peacefully." Van moved toward the captain. He was immediately surrounded by the Watchmen.

Maisen turned back toward me. "Please go the Church. Bishop Canterbury is awaiting your report. When you are finished delivering your report, please come to Watch Headquarters to give witness testimony against this man," she ordered.

"Yes, Captain," I nodded. I turned toward Bila and said, "Let's go." We followed the contingent of Watchmen closely.

The crowd of bystanders immediately parted to make way for us. When we reached the Watch Headquarters, I headed north toward the Church, which was located on the other side of the Public Square. Before I crossed the street and entered the building, I turned around and said to Bila, "Holy grounds are magically protected against demi-humans. You'll have to wait here until I return."

The cat girl pointedly turned her head away from me. "It can't be helped," she sulked. "What does Kalistra do during your Church visits?" she asked.

"She meditates," I answered, "until I return."

Bila's tail lashed back and forth. She did not meditate and felt it was all just hocus-pocus. She was astonished to learn that Kalistra and I practiced meditation.

Seeing the skepticism in her eyes, I held up my hand. "There are many benefits to meditation. For example, I suffer from anxiety attacks. Meditation has helped reduce their frequency. It calms my nerves and helps me get in the proper mindset to handle high-pressure situations. Aside from relieving stress and anxiety, meditation helps the body heal faster and reduce pain. As a swordsman who had to endure Kalistra's harsh training regime, this is especially helpful. In fact, the late Grandmaster was the one who taught to meditate inside the dojo," I explained.

The cat girl's whiskers and ears twitched. She was very intrigued by the benefits I had mentioned and imagined how they would help her personally. "Fine. Teach me."

I smiled. "First, we need to sit on the ground. Let's take a spot against the wall of that shop," I said while pointing my finger. When we walked over to the wall, I sat cross-legged on the ground and placed my palms on my thighs.

Bila sat beside me and adopted my position.

"Now close your eyes and clear your mind. Take deep, slow breaths. Focus only on your breathing. You see nothing. You hear nothing. Your mind is empty like the clouds. Only breathe," I instructed. I opened my eyes and saw that my bodyguard had followed my instructions. I rose to my feet and crossed the street.