The man standing before me seems to be a perfectly normal human being, but I know better than that. I've seen enough monsters in my live to recognize one when it’s right in front of me, even in disguise. They're actually pretty simple to spot, as long as you know what to look out for. A weird patch of hair might give away a werewolf, a greyish skin tone means a sea creature has gotten legs. Dragons are usually easy. Strange eyes, some scales that are still exposed, an unsteady tread, signaling that they’re not used to walking on two legs. I could pick a dragon out of a crowd from a mile away.
This man is different. I can't find a single flaw in his appearance. He must be used to living disguised as a human. Even so, I know for sure he is not human. I might not be able to see anything right now, but I can feel it. When you have been in this line of work as long as I have, spotting monsters becomes a second nature, an extra sense. And right now, that sense is telling me that this man is a dragon.
“Can I help you, young man?” he asks, when he spots me. He looks like a nice older man, with grey hair, lightly wrinkled skin and a gentle smile. Even his voice sounds normal, with no hint of that strange accent most dragons speak with.
My hand is resting on the hilt of my sword, ready to attack once he shows his true colors. “Do these people know?” I ask. My plan is to let him reveal his real form to me, so the villagers won't think I killed an innocent man. Besides, killing a full-sized dragon makes for a better story.
“I’m sorry, I don't understand your question. What should they know?” He's still smiling, unaware of the fate that's waiting for him.
“Do they know that a monster is walking among them, disguised as one of them?” I speak quietly, to not alert the nearby villagers. I don’t want them to start running around in a panic.
“Oh.” He looks surprised for a second, before going back to that smile. “They do, actually.”
Now it's my turn to be surprised. “They do?” I'm not sure how to respond. This is not how I expected this conversation to go.
“Yes, they do. Although, I don't think they'd describe me as a ‘monster’.”
“What would they describe you as?” I ask. They're the first words I can think of that make sense. All my other thoughts are just different variations of What is happening right now?!
“I'm not sure. Why don't you ask them?”
I look around and see some of the villagers walking past. They all happily smile at the man, some greeting him with a wave or a nod.
“I can see that you're confused, young adventurer. You can follow me, and I will explain. If you're willing to listen, of course.”
I just nod, not knowing what else to do. At least he hasn't tried to kill me yet. That's one bonus compared to other dragon encounters I've had. I follow the man into a large building that looks like a town hall, made entirely out of wood. As soon as we enter, we get greeted by a young woman sitting behind a reception desk.
“Hello, sir. Welcome back!” she says. Her eyes move over to me, her expression a mix of suspicion and curiosity. “And who's this stranger?"
“Just someone who wants to kill me”, he says. Before she can respond, he opens one of the doors behind him and motions me to come inside. I quickly follow before the woman can try to stop me.
He closes the door behind me. The room were in seems to be an office, with a large desk in the middle and bookcases covering the walls. Behind the desk, between two windows, is a large painting. It is a very accurate portrait of the man, almost looking exactly the same as he does now, even though the dust on the frame and the cracks in the paint indicate that the painting must be very old. I can actually see reptile-like traits in his eyes and traces of scales on his neck, some of the classic imperfections dragons have in their human form, in the portrait. It must've been made when he wasn't used to being human.
“That painting was made two hundred years ago”, he says, conforming my suspicions. Although I didn't expect it – or him – to be that old. “After seeing the destruction that others of my species had caused, I wanted to do something good for the humans. So, I gathered some of them and together we build this town. It's a safe space from all the ‘monsters’, as you call them.” He looks me straight in the eyes now, so intensely that it makes me want to look away. “As you can see, I have no ill intentions. I want nothing but good for these people.”
“This is not a trick?” I mumble. I've never met a dragon with good intentions. My intuition, trained on years of hunting others like him, won’t let me believe him. Despite all this evidence I'm presented with, I can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen.
“No, this is not a trick. If I wanted to hurt them, don’t you think I would have done so years ago?” His voice is calming and his reasoning convincing enough to make me to trust him.
“Yes, you’re right. Sorry to have bothered you, then. I'll be leaving now”, I say, turning back to the door. I want to leave this situation as soon as possible. Talking to someone I was planning to kill just minutes ago is not my favorite thing to do.
“Wait.” I can feel his hand around my arm, pulling me back with force. His grip is a lot tighter than I expected from him. “You can't leave.” The calm in his voice is gone and I can hear hints of that old dragon accents coming through. Instinctively, I reach for my sword, but his grip on my arm is too strong for me to move.
“Why not?” I ask, trying to hide my fear. He was so reasonable just now. Part of me hopes that I can still talk myself out of this. Most of me knows that not going to happen.
He pulls me closer to him, forcing my face right in front of his. “I can't have you get out and tell others about me. People like you will come here. It will comprise the safety of our village.” He smiles.
It's the last thing I see before a claw rips open my chest.
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