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Leo left the bathroom ‘holding’ the paper, which was closer to balancing so as to not ruin the already damaged scrap.

He called out, “Koram, can you come check this out.”

Koram, having finished washing up the dishes, came over to see what was causing Leo to call out for him.

“It’s the symbols I saw on the mountain while we climbed it,” Leo stated while showing the paper to Koram, “The skeletal one looks just like the dragon, what do you think this means?”

Koram took the paper from Leo’s hand and looked it over, his eyes focused for any hint of important information.

“I agree that the symbol looks like the Draco Lich, but I don’t have any clue who the other 3 symbols would represent. Mushrooms and men wearing hats aren’t quite detailed, though the man on the throne may represent the king,” Koram responded, unable to find any answers in the symbols.

“Then maybe we should meet with the king, and I’m assuming an evil dragon should probably be reported anyway,” Leo said.

Koram interjected, “The king isn’t exactly nearby, and we don’t really have much proof or even any proof of the dragon’s existence. Though if we can get to its corpse that could get us the proof we need.”

“No can do, I ended up destroying David alongside a lot of other stuff with my attack. Though even without proof, if one of the symbols was something as strong as him then the other 3 might represent other dangerous threats,” Leo remarked, “It was lucky I was there before a large undead army grew, but can this world handle other creatures as strong as him?”

Koram looked worried, he wanted to assure Leo that it could, but he honestly wasn’t sure. There were heroes who could handle strong forces, but from the glimpses of the fight Leo went through, he wasn’t sure if anyone could handle it.

“It couldn’t, if there are 3 individuals as strong as the Draco Lich then I can’t imagine any adventurer’s or heroes strong enough to stop all of them,” Koram fearfully admitted.

Leo sighed, “Then I’ll need to be the one to stop them all.”

“What? You don’t even know what you’re looking for or if these dangers even exist,” Koram argued, “You don’t even know about this world, how can you want to go out into danger right after Buddy died?”

“I want to because Buddy died, he wanted me to be the good in the world, so why wouldn’t I be?” Leo retorted.

“Because what if you die too?” Koram asked, Leo seeing tears in his eyes.

“I won’t, trust me. I promise you no matter what, I will survive,” reassured Leo.

Koram wiped a few tears from his eyes as he said, “Alright Leo, I’ll have faith in you. There is a chance that the capital already has some information on the symbols, so you should head there. The capital is also where you’d be likely to find strong adventurers to help you out.”

“Why are you describing it as if I’m going alone?” asked Leo.

“Because you will be going alone, I still have responsibilities here in Irontree that I must attend to,” Koram responded, “I make sure the people here are fed, oversee the forest, and defend against any dangers. This is my home, and while I care about you, Leo, I can’t just abandon the people here.”

“But I can’t go without you, I don’t know the first thing about this world or how to survive in it,” Leo said, his voice rising with each word.

Koram looked him in the eyes and responded, “Then you have two choices Leo, I can teach you about how to navigate this world for your journey, or you can stay here in Irontree.”

Leo thought about the options laid before him, the appeals of both of them. Irontree was comfortable, it was safe, and it had his only friend in this world. This adventure would be dangerous, a journey into the unknown, where he would likely face challenges he never once thought possible with no one by his side.

Then Leo thought back to home, to the life he led. He never tried, never risked, stayed home and ended up miserable for it. Leo had lived for 19 years, but never truly felt alive until this past week. The thought broke his heart, but he knew that he couldn’t stay here in Irontree.

“Teach me everything I need to know,” he said.

He saw the disappointed eyes of Koram, as his heart felt heavy with guilt over his choice. Koram led him to the living room as they sat down, Leo listening intently while Koram described what was the most pertinent information to him.

This world was known as Kalpania, it is a large continent ruled by king Raegis. There is land beyond the continent, but it is currently unexplored due to rough waters and dangerous monsters making the journey near impossible. Adventuring is a common job for travelers, a reliable way to make money while making the world safer. Individuals who have either slain many powerful monsters or serve the king directly are known as hero’s, the most powerful in the land.

Koram looked around for a map of the world, showing Leo where the capital city Edheim was located. The journey was long, Leo estimated it had to be around 10,000 miles. Koram proceeded to tell him it was only a few hundred miles away, a long journey but not impossible.

The journey was a near straight line East from Irontree, though a large amount of it being desert would make travel difficult for the inexperienced Leo. Koram told him he would pack him some food and supplies, but he would need to hunt and forage for his own food eventually.

Koram handed him a pouch of 50 gold coins, a hefty sum, to help him buy anything he needed during the journey. They spent the afternoon cooking dinner together, Koram teaching as many of the basics to Leo as possible.

While caramelizing onions, Koram told Leo, “You know, you don’t need to leave tomorrow. The longer you stay in Irontree, the more you can learn before your journey.”

“I know Koram, but every day I spend here could be another innocent life lost. I will come back though, once Kalpania is safe,” responded Leo to Koram’s attempt at stalling.

The two shared a hearty dinner while Leo thought about the journey that lay ahead of him, though while thinking he remembered his class which he had forgotten in the conversations of today.

“Koram, I have a question about class.” Leo blurted out as the Elf was about to head to bed.

Koram looked back towards Leo, “What is it?”

“How do I use it? I unlocked my class but I don’t actually understand how it works.” inquired Leo, feeling a bit helpless.

“Well, what’s your class?” inquired Koram.

Leo blabbered on, “It says I’m a barbarian of chains, so I can sacrifice strength for unique abilities. Though I don’t know if there's a ritual I need to do or some way to go about it.”

Koram thought for a second before responding, “I can’t really help you there, barbarians aren’t anything like druids. The best way to learn is through experience, so perhaps you need some more practice fighting.”

Leo disputed Koram, “I can’t practice, even a simple punch is enough to destroy anything nearby.”

“Then it is a good thing you’ll be in the desert,” refuted Koram.

With that Koram went to his room, as Leo realized that he would in fact be somewhere that didn’t have any collateral to damage. The map didn’t show any villages or civilizations in the desert, and with miles of nothingness it may just be the perfect training ground for someone as strong as Leo.