Tonto, the complete tale
Still moving along. Not sure how much I'll get through this weekend, because I'M AT HOME!!!!!! It's only for a weekend, but I'm so happy to be out of the barracks for a bit!
Tonto opened his eyes. He sat up and found himself sitting in the middle of a field. Confusion set in as he looked around at the flattened grass. This was not his bed. He had had the strangest dream, and now he woke up in the same field he dreamed about. There was a moment of hesitation, and then his memories of the night before came flooding back. I guess it wasn’t a dream after all. He realized. He sat cross legged as he thought about the day ahead. First things first, he needed to find something to wear. He still had a small amount of shirt and pants left, but they were shredded and filthy. He pulled at the top wondering how it had even lasted after he had changed so much. Continuing to think about it, he remembered seeing no clothing when he looked at himself as a dragon. There must have been a small amount of magic that preserved what he was wearing. He stood and looked around again. The rabbit at the edge of the woods eating the new grass might be a tempting morsel, but he had no way to prepare it, and he actually was not hungry. Not hungry, that was a new concept. He thought about it and the only answer he could come up with was something he read in a book one time. It was written about the time that the humans fought alongside the dragons, and the author had mentioned that the dragons could eat a large animal in one sitting, and then go for up to five days without another meal. Since he had been hungry for so long, he was pleased with the thought that he may not have to eat again for a few days. He oriented himself with the mountains in the west marking the dragon lands, and the sun rising over the town he had once called home. He knew that traveling to either place was a very bad idea especially now that he had returned to his more vulnerable human form. He wished that he had considered better which way to flee and not placed himself right between them. To the north there was some lightly inhabited hill country, and to the south lay some larger cities as well as the sea. South and east were where most of the people of Andrastir lived. He knew that it was probably not the best idea to go where people were until he had learned to contain his power, but he also knew that his mother had come from the hill country. He chose to skirt around the town and head into the heart of the country. Perhaps there might be a wizard who could help him.
Going around was slightly more difficult than he had thought it would be. He knew that the people of the town would probably be on the lookout for him, but not out looking for him. He heard them long before he saw them, and nodded, it meant that the acute hearing that came with being a dragon lingered. He tracked their movements until they were close enough that he could actually make out what was being said.
“…Certainly still dangerous. We have to make sure not to anger him.” It was Ronnoc, the bartender. Tonto had not been in the bar enough to know him very well, but he had seemed pretty anxious to see a hanging the night before.
“I still don’t think we should even be out here looking for him.” Tonto did not recognize the voice of the speaker. “He turned into a dragon! How do we know if he already knows we are here?” Tonto chuckled to himself, whoever it was seemed like a pretty smart person.
“I know he’s a dragon, don’t you think I thought of that before we left? That’s why we have bow and arrows, so we don’t have to get close. Besides, we are not looking for him.” Ronnoc answered him. They continued trying to sneak through the woods, but making enough noise to wake half the forest. “Look there is another one; I wonder how much dragon scales are worth.”
“Probably not enough to get ourselves killed over.”
“Well, I am not letting this chance go to waste. I have never seen dragon scales in any market I’ve visited, and none of the dwarf traders have had them either.”
“I have to give you that; I have never seen them on the market before. I wonder if the color makes a difference. You know I could have sworn that he was red.” The stranger’s answer caused Tonto to snort, he was red. Curious, he chose to see if he could get close enough to see the color scales they had. His instinct warned him to stay away, but he ignored it. The people were farther away than he had thought. He snuck through the woods still barely listening as the one man continually tried to convince the other that it was a bad idea to be out there. The argument was the same and Tonto grew bored of hearing it long before he drew close enough to see. Ronnoc carried a rather full satchel and was placing the scales in there. The second man was his neighbor, whose name Tonto had not learned since he had moved in only about a month ago. He had his bow in his hand and an arrow in the other, but he did not have it notched. He was using the arrow to point out any scales that Ronnoc had missed. The scales were all completely black, like the ones in the center of Tonto’s back. Tonto actually rubbed his back wondering if they could all have come from there, or if they changed color when he shed them. He assumed that this would be another thing to learn about himself whenever he found a safe place to hide. The men had given him an idea though, and he decided that once he was far enough away from his town, he would change into a dragon again. He would not wonder around, only scratch a few scales loose, and then collect them in the morning after he had changed back. He would sell them to anyone interested in the cities, and use the money to buy clothes and food. He had completely stopped paying attention to the men as he thought, but a flash of movement now caught his attention. He turned and dodged, but not soon enough, and the arrow caught his ribs just under his arm.
“Good shot, Witham!” Ronnoc called as he drew his own bow back.
Witham was shocked that he had actually hit Tonto, and terrified that he would be killed for it. “Just shoot him before he changes!”
Ronnoc let his arrow fly, but this time Tonto knew it was coming. He ducked out of the way with plenty of time. Angry, and hurt, Tonto turned and faced them. He did not know what kind of look he had, but assumed it must have been even angrier than he was, because both men now froze in fear. Tonto looked at the arrow sticking from his left side, it had glanced off the ribs and was only stuck in the skin, but it hurt more than Tonto thought it was supposed to. He grabbed it and turned to face them as he pulled it out. These were his neighbors and they were still trying to kill him. “I wasn’t hurting anyone….” He informed them and then ripped the arrow free. “Tell my mother I’m sorry.” He turned away from them and back down the path he had chosen. He allowed his instinct to guide him, and hit the ground before he had taken five steps. Two arrows flew overhead showing that the men had recovered from their fear. Tonto stood and looked back over his shoulder. “Just let me alone, I won’t hurt anyone.” He quickly ran away before they could take another shot.
It was almost evening when the filthy boy wandered into the city. The streets were crowded with people on their way home from work and Tonto had to push to get to the market before all the shops and stalls closed. The shoving opened his wound again, and the blood just added to the dirt that caked him. He had traveled around his home, and through two other towns in hopes of gaining a fair distance from any tales that might have already started spreading. He had not stopped to eat, and had been on the dusty road for the greater part of the day. The dust had mixed with sweat, and blood, and now Tonto was as dirty as any street urchin that ran through the streets on a daily basis. He placed his right hand on his bleeding side, and then pulled his other arm in close for extra pressure. He wandered into the market looking for the right kind of stall. He had found three of his own scales while he was traveling, and now he was going to sell them. He needed to find a shop or stall that dealt in the strange or unique items that people buy. He spotted one across the square and was headed in that direction when a shop whose sign read ‘All Things Magical’ caught his eye. He turned in there. It was a crowded little room with rows upon rows of shelves displaying herbs and other potion making materials. He tried not to stare at the jars containing preserved frogs and newt’s eyes. He had wandered all the way to the back of the shop where the counter lay, when someone stepped out from the row beside him and grabbed his shoulders.
“Now see here boy, I don’t want your kind wandering in my shop, stealing things and scaring my…Oh!” The proprietor had given him a rough shake and Tonto’s hand had slipped revealing his cut. The small gasp that had escaped Tonto is what caught the man’s attention, and now stopped him from shaking Tonto again. “What has happened to you, boy?” The man switched to a gentler tone and turned Tonto to see his side.
Tonto allowed the man to examine the injury, and tried to think of a reasonable lie. He could think of nothing, so avoided the question by asking one of his own. “If I show you something that you have never seen, how much will you pay me for it?”
The man chuckled, and led Tonto to a chair beside the counter. “Look around the shop boy, there is nothing you could have that I have not seen.” He pulled out a damp cloth and began cleaning around the cut. “I will pay you a fair price for whatever you have found.” He considered what he saw as just another filthy urchin. “Provided you did not steal it.”
Tonto shook his head, and pulled one of the scales from his pocket. He kept his hand closed to hide it from view as he stated. “I want twenty five gold coins for this.”
The shop owner stopped dabbing and stared at the closed hand. “Twenty five gold coins? That is more than anything in this shop is worth, I will never be able to sell it.” He shook his head. “As I said, I will pay a fair price.”
Tonto straighten in his seat and then opened his hand. He was quite happy to see that the man in front of him was in complete shock. “I think twenty five gold coins is fair for what I paid.” Tonto indicated his side.
The man again turned to Tonto’s side. “Did the dragon do this?”
“No, I was too close to the men who were hunting it.” Tonto did not wish to lie, and so avoided it. “I managed to grab a scale that they knocked loose.”
“Well, I can offer you fifteen gold coins for this. I have no idea what would be the use for it other than that no one has one.” He walked over to the counter and began rummaging around for the coins. “That is a very fair price, since we are talking in gold.”
Tonto considered the offer; fifteen gold coins broke down to around ninety silver coins, or about one hundred and eighty coppers. It was a fair amount, but not nearly enough. He shook his head. “No, I want 25 gold coins.”
“I guess I could go up to eighteen gold coins.” The shop owner was trying to make a bargain, and they both knew it. He would turn around and sell it for a hundred gold coins, and not even blink.
“I will only take twenty five.” Tonto was adamant.
The shop owner chuckled. “You don’t know much about bargaining do you boy? I will give you twenty two for it, and that is my final offer. You know you are not going to get anymore for it than that.”
Tonto thought for a moment, twenty two was a very good deal, especially considering that he had two more in his pocket. Then of course there was the fact that he was the dragon that made them, so he could get more almost anytime he wanted. “I will take the twenty two, as long as you can treat my side.” He had seen, and felt, a rather large collection of the healing herbs that Ostgin kept in his shop, and assumed that the man knew the uses of them.
“Cunning; you are a very cunning lad.” The man ceased digging around and plopped a sack of coins on the counter. He then walked around it and to the shelves. “I would have charged you for this as soon as I had finished, knowing of course that you had the money for it.” After a minute or two of digging he walked back with several herbs and a few pieces of cloth. “Tell me where you are from boy, I haven’t seen you around town before, and there are no dragons anywhere this deep in Andrastir.” He handed the herbs to Tonto, and then placed a pestle and mortar on the counter behind him. He took up the rag and began cleaning the cut again.
Tonto reached around with his right hand and pulled them off the counter. “I would rather not talk about my home.” He held herbs in his left hand and let the essence of them sink into his skin for a minute. After he had figured out where their power lay, he began pouring them into the mortar.
The proprietor had finished cleaning, and now sat and watched as Tonto mixed the herbs and began grinding them together. “I would much prefer to know where you are from, but I would also be satisfied to know how you knew what herbs those were.”
Tonto glanced up and down between the man and the herbs. “I don’t really know how; I guess they just felt right.” He held the mixture out to the man. “I worked with an herbalist back home for a bit.”
The owner of the shop reached out and pulled the bowl away. He poured a little bit of whiskey into it and ground it into the paste. He looked at the boy who was now slumping in the chair. “Here’s the deal, I will finish fixing you up, and I will give you dinner, but I want to know a little about you. I am no fool, and I know you are probably aware of that.” He reached out and grabbed Tonto’s hand.
Tonto tried to pull away, but his grip was much too tight. Suddenly he realized that there was more than just strength behind that grip. The man had a fair amount of essence and was using it to hold onto Tonto. It was then that it occurred to Tonto that this man might be able to tell that Tonto did as well. He panicked and reached for the strength he knew would allow him to pull free. As soon as he brushed it the man released him.
“You don’t need to worry; I was just trying to show you that you can trust me. I am the same as you.” He picked up the paste again and slopped it onto one of the clean clothes. “My name is Ribew, by the way.”
Tonto stared at the man. “I very much doubt that we are the same.” He pulled the ragged shirt away from the wound. “It’s not that I don’t want to trust you. I just can’t trust anyone.” He allowed the man to place the poultice over the wound. He tried his best not to pull away, but the whiskey burned. He made a slight hissing noise as he answered. “My name is Tonto.”
“Well, Tonto, you have a unique amount of power, and if you linger in the towns too long someone is sure to take note.” He pulled the shirt the rest of the way off the boy. “What is this from?” He pointed to the scar that marked Tonto’s side all the way down.
Tonto held his arms up as Ribew wrapped a strip around his ribs. “I got it as a baby.” Tonto answered shortly. He was tired of answering questions, and wanted to escape from the prying man.
“You really don’t talk much do you?” Ribew crossed the bandage over Tonto’s shoulder and tied it off. “I guess it’s alright, you don’t have to trust me right now. Maybe someday you will, but until then don’t hesitate to bring me anything else unusual that you find.” He pulled the dragon scale from his pocket and held it up. “I must confess; this is the very first scale that I have ever laid eyes on. I mean, I have seen drawings, and there is rumored to be one at the palace that was a gift to the king at the beginning of the war against the elves. You know I can actually feel a little bit of latent essence in this.” He stood and pulled a glass from the shelf behind the counter where he placed the scale.
Tonto spun in his seat and poured the gold from the bag onto the counter. He began counting it as he answered. “I’m sorry; I wish I had more to say, but I have a lot that I don’t know myself, and I would rather not talk about it.” He slid the coins into his satchel as he finished counting them. “I appreciate your offer for dinner, but I must decline.” He pulled the tattered shirt back on. As he was leaving the shop he turned back over his shoulder. “I knew that was an item that you had never seen.”
Tonto opened his eyes. He sat up and found himself sitting in the middle of a field. Confusion set in as he looked around at the flattened grass. This was not his bed. He had had the strangest dream, and now he woke up in the same field he dreamed about. There was a moment of hesitation, and then his memories of the night before came flooding back. I guess it wasn’t a dream after all. He realized. He sat cross legged as he thought about the day ahead. First things first, he needed to find something to wear. He still had a small amount of shirt and pants left, but they were shredded and filthy. He pulled at the top wondering how it had even lasted after he had changed so much. Continuing to think about it, he remembered seeing no clothing when he looked at himself as a dragon. There must have been a small amount of magic that preserved what he was wearing. He stood and looked around again. The rabbit at the edge of the woods eating the new grass might be a tempting morsel, but he had no way to prepare it, and he actually was not hungry. Not hungry, that was a new concept. He thought about it and the only answer he could come up with was something he read in a book one time. It was written about the time that the humans fought alongside the dragons, and the author had mentioned that the dragons could eat a large animal in one sitting, and then go for up to five days without another meal. Since he had been hungry for so long, he was pleased with the thought that he may not have to eat again for a few days. He oriented himself with the mountains in the west marking the dragon lands, and the sun rising over the town he had once called home. He knew that traveling to either place was a very bad idea especially now that he had returned to his more vulnerable human form. He wished that he had considered better which way to flee and not placed himself right between them. To the north there was some lightly inhabited hill country, and to the south lay some larger cities as well as the sea. South and east were where most of the people of Andrastir lived. He knew that it was probably not the best idea to go where people were until he had learned to contain his power, but he also knew that his mother had come from the hill country. He chose to skirt around the town and head into the heart of the country. Perhaps there might be a wizard who could help him.
Going around was slightly more difficult than he had thought it would be. He knew that the people of the town would probably be on the lookout for him, but not out looking for him. He heard them long before he saw them, and nodded, it meant that the acute hearing that came with being a dragon lingered. He tracked their movements until they were close enough that he could actually make out what was being said.
“…Certainly still dangerous. We have to make sure not to anger him.” It was Ronnoc, the bartender. Tonto had not been in the bar enough to know him very well, but he had seemed pretty anxious to see a hanging the night before.
“I still don’t think we should even be out here looking for him.” Tonto did not recognize the voice of the speaker. “He turned into a dragon! How do we know if he already knows we are here?” Tonto chuckled to himself, whoever it was seemed like a pretty smart person.
“I know he’s a dragon, don’t you think I thought of that before we left? That’s why we have bow and arrows, so we don’t have to get close. Besides, we are not looking for him.” Ronnoc answered him. They continued trying to sneak through the woods, but making enough noise to wake half the forest. “Look there is another one; I wonder how much dragon scales are worth.”
“Probably not enough to get ourselves killed over.”
“Well, I am not letting this chance go to waste. I have never seen dragon scales in any market I’ve visited, and none of the dwarf traders have had them either.”
“I have to give you that; I have never seen them on the market before. I wonder if the color makes a difference. You know I could have sworn that he was red.” The stranger’s answer caused Tonto to snort, he was red. Curious, he chose to see if he could get close enough to see the color scales they had. His instinct warned him to stay away, but he ignored it. The people were farther away than he had thought. He snuck through the woods still barely listening as the one man continually tried to convince the other that it was a bad idea to be out there. The argument was the same and Tonto grew bored of hearing it long before he drew close enough to see. Ronnoc carried a rather full satchel and was placing the scales in there. The second man was his neighbor, whose name Tonto had not learned since he had moved in only about a month ago. He had his bow in his hand and an arrow in the other, but he did not have it notched. He was using the arrow to point out any scales that Ronnoc had missed. The scales were all completely black, like the ones in the center of Tonto’s back. Tonto actually rubbed his back wondering if they could all have come from there, or if they changed color when he shed them. He assumed that this would be another thing to learn about himself whenever he found a safe place to hide. The men had given him an idea though, and he decided that once he was far enough away from his town, he would change into a dragon again. He would not wonder around, only scratch a few scales loose, and then collect them in the morning after he had changed back. He would sell them to anyone interested in the cities, and use the money to buy clothes and food. He had completely stopped paying attention to the men as he thought, but a flash of movement now caught his attention. He turned and dodged, but not soon enough, and the arrow caught his ribs just under his arm.
“Good shot, Witham!” Ronnoc called as he drew his own bow back.
Witham was shocked that he had actually hit Tonto, and terrified that he would be killed for it. “Just shoot him before he changes!”
Ronnoc let his arrow fly, but this time Tonto knew it was coming. He ducked out of the way with plenty of time. Angry, and hurt, Tonto turned and faced them. He did not know what kind of look he had, but assumed it must have been even angrier than he was, because both men now froze in fear. Tonto looked at the arrow sticking from his left side, it had glanced off the ribs and was only stuck in the skin, but it hurt more than Tonto thought it was supposed to. He grabbed it and turned to face them as he pulled it out. These were his neighbors and they were still trying to kill him. “I wasn’t hurting anyone….” He informed them and then ripped the arrow free. “Tell my mother I’m sorry.” He turned away from them and back down the path he had chosen. He allowed his instinct to guide him, and hit the ground before he had taken five steps. Two arrows flew overhead showing that the men had recovered from their fear. Tonto stood and looked back over his shoulder. “Just let me alone, I won’t hurt anyone.” He quickly ran away before they could take another shot.
It was almost evening when the filthy boy wandered into the city. The streets were crowded with people on their way home from work and Tonto had to push to get to the market before all the shops and stalls closed. The shoving opened his wound again, and the blood just added to the dirt that caked him. He had traveled around his home, and through two other towns in hopes of gaining a fair distance from any tales that might have already started spreading. He had not stopped to eat, and had been on the dusty road for the greater part of the day. The dust had mixed with sweat, and blood, and now Tonto was as dirty as any street urchin that ran through the streets on a daily basis. He placed his right hand on his bleeding side, and then pulled his other arm in close for extra pressure. He wandered into the market looking for the right kind of stall. He had found three of his own scales while he was traveling, and now he was going to sell them. He needed to find a shop or stall that dealt in the strange or unique items that people buy. He spotted one across the square and was headed in that direction when a shop whose sign read ‘All Things Magical’ caught his eye. He turned in there. It was a crowded little room with rows upon rows of shelves displaying herbs and other potion making materials. He tried not to stare at the jars containing preserved frogs and newt’s eyes. He had wandered all the way to the back of the shop where the counter lay, when someone stepped out from the row beside him and grabbed his shoulders.
“Now see here boy, I don’t want your kind wandering in my shop, stealing things and scaring my…Oh!” The proprietor had given him a rough shake and Tonto’s hand had slipped revealing his cut. The small gasp that had escaped Tonto is what caught the man’s attention, and now stopped him from shaking Tonto again. “What has happened to you, boy?” The man switched to a gentler tone and turned Tonto to see his side.
Tonto allowed the man to examine the injury, and tried to think of a reasonable lie. He could think of nothing, so avoided the question by asking one of his own. “If I show you something that you have never seen, how much will you pay me for it?”
The man chuckled, and led Tonto to a chair beside the counter. “Look around the shop boy, there is nothing you could have that I have not seen.” He pulled out a damp cloth and began cleaning around the cut. “I will pay you a fair price for whatever you have found.” He considered what he saw as just another filthy urchin. “Provided you did not steal it.”
Tonto shook his head, and pulled one of the scales from his pocket. He kept his hand closed to hide it from view as he stated. “I want twenty five gold coins for this.”
The shop owner stopped dabbing and stared at the closed hand. “Twenty five gold coins? That is more than anything in this shop is worth, I will never be able to sell it.” He shook his head. “As I said, I will pay a fair price.”
Tonto straighten in his seat and then opened his hand. He was quite happy to see that the man in front of him was in complete shock. “I think twenty five gold coins is fair for what I paid.” Tonto indicated his side.
The man again turned to Tonto’s side. “Did the dragon do this?”
“No, I was too close to the men who were hunting it.” Tonto did not wish to lie, and so avoided it. “I managed to grab a scale that they knocked loose.”
“Well, I can offer you fifteen gold coins for this. I have no idea what would be the use for it other than that no one has one.” He walked over to the counter and began rummaging around for the coins. “That is a very fair price, since we are talking in gold.”
Tonto considered the offer; fifteen gold coins broke down to around ninety silver coins, or about one hundred and eighty coppers. It was a fair amount, but not nearly enough. He shook his head. “No, I want 25 gold coins.”
“I guess I could go up to eighteen gold coins.” The shop owner was trying to make a bargain, and they both knew it. He would turn around and sell it for a hundred gold coins, and not even blink.
“I will only take twenty five.” Tonto was adamant.
The shop owner chuckled. “You don’t know much about bargaining do you boy? I will give you twenty two for it, and that is my final offer. You know you are not going to get anymore for it than that.”
Tonto thought for a moment, twenty two was a very good deal, especially considering that he had two more in his pocket. Then of course there was the fact that he was the dragon that made them, so he could get more almost anytime he wanted. “I will take the twenty two, as long as you can treat my side.” He had seen, and felt, a rather large collection of the healing herbs that Ostgin kept in his shop, and assumed that the man knew the uses of them.
“Cunning; you are a very cunning lad.” The man ceased digging around and plopped a sack of coins on the counter. He then walked around it and to the shelves. “I would have charged you for this as soon as I had finished, knowing of course that you had the money for it.” After a minute or two of digging he walked back with several herbs and a few pieces of cloth. “Tell me where you are from boy, I haven’t seen you around town before, and there are no dragons anywhere this deep in Andrastir.” He handed the herbs to Tonto, and then placed a pestle and mortar on the counter behind him. He took up the rag and began cleaning the cut again.
Tonto reached around with his right hand and pulled them off the counter. “I would rather not talk about my home.” He held herbs in his left hand and let the essence of them sink into his skin for a minute. After he had figured out where their power lay, he began pouring them into the mortar.
The proprietor had finished cleaning, and now sat and watched as Tonto mixed the herbs and began grinding them together. “I would much prefer to know where you are from, but I would also be satisfied to know how you knew what herbs those were.”
Tonto glanced up and down between the man and the herbs. “I don’t really know how; I guess they just felt right.” He held the mixture out to the man. “I worked with an herbalist back home for a bit.”
The owner of the shop reached out and pulled the bowl away. He poured a little bit of whiskey into it and ground it into the paste. He looked at the boy who was now slumping in the chair. “Here’s the deal, I will finish fixing you up, and I will give you dinner, but I want to know a little about you. I am no fool, and I know you are probably aware of that.” He reached out and grabbed Tonto’s hand.
Tonto tried to pull away, but his grip was much too tight. Suddenly he realized that there was more than just strength behind that grip. The man had a fair amount of essence and was using it to hold onto Tonto. It was then that it occurred to Tonto that this man might be able to tell that Tonto did as well. He panicked and reached for the strength he knew would allow him to pull free. As soon as he brushed it the man released him.
“You don’t need to worry; I was just trying to show you that you can trust me. I am the same as you.” He picked up the paste again and slopped it onto one of the clean clothes. “My name is Ribew, by the way.”
Tonto stared at the man. “I very much doubt that we are the same.” He pulled the ragged shirt away from the wound. “It’s not that I don’t want to trust you. I just can’t trust anyone.” He allowed the man to place the poultice over the wound. He tried his best not to pull away, but the whiskey burned. He made a slight hissing noise as he answered. “My name is Tonto.”
“Well, Tonto, you have a unique amount of power, and if you linger in the towns too long someone is sure to take note.” He pulled the shirt the rest of the way off the boy. “What is this from?” He pointed to the scar that marked Tonto’s side all the way down.
Tonto held his arms up as Ribew wrapped a strip around his ribs. “I got it as a baby.” Tonto answered shortly. He was tired of answering questions, and wanted to escape from the prying man.
“You really don’t talk much do you?” Ribew crossed the bandage over Tonto’s shoulder and tied it off. “I guess it’s alright, you don’t have to trust me right now. Maybe someday you will, but until then don’t hesitate to bring me anything else unusual that you find.” He pulled the dragon scale from his pocket and held it up. “I must confess; this is the very first scale that I have ever laid eyes on. I mean, I have seen drawings, and there is rumored to be one at the palace that was a gift to the king at the beginning of the war against the elves. You know I can actually feel a little bit of latent essence in this.” He stood and pulled a glass from the shelf behind the counter where he placed the scale.
Tonto spun in his seat and poured the gold from the bag onto the counter. He began counting it as he answered. “I’m sorry; I wish I had more to say, but I have a lot that I don’t know myself, and I would rather not talk about it.” He slid the coins into his satchel as he finished counting them. “I appreciate your offer for dinner, but I must decline.” He pulled the tattered shirt back on. As he was leaving the shop he turned back over his shoulder. “I knew that was an item that you had never seen.”