These folks appear to have excellent night vision, considering they seem to navigate the room without any issues. Aside from the one clinging to me, they continue to keep their distance. Judging by their skinny frames, they appear to have been down here for some time, which aligns with Punchy saying they came here to find out what happened.

  Making my way back out of the hole, Raya guides people to follow as we all make our way outside. The felifolk stick together in a clump, not letting anyone stray far, almost as if fearing the shadows will take them away. Their scent of fear is strong enough to put me on edge, and the urge to hunt something is growing.

  "Raya, I think I should go find Punchy. Whistle or something if you need me."

  Instead of arguing, she takes one look at me and nods before grabbing the group's attention. Nudging the cat person clinging to my leg, she appears to not want to let go, so who am I to argue? Rather than linger, I set off, and the moment I have the room, I give the wrist she's clinging to a little shake to make sure she's holding on before taking flight.

  It doesn't take long before Punchy's large form comes into view, and the first notable thing about the half-giant man I see is that he's carrying four buckets. Sarah is trailing behind him, wearing an exasperated look. It appears he's gathering up goop from the disintegrated copies and bringing it all to his hammer mold. It doesn't take long for him to spot me, and the moment he does, a smile graces his lips.

  "I welcome you back, Dragon! We have nearly gathered enough material for my weapon! Oh, you bring a new friend, I see. She is not doing well."

  With his focus drawn to the cat person stuck to my leg, both he and Sarah rush to her aid, with Punchy pulling out spiced snacks as Sarah spins up some magic. With their approach, the cat person moves to hide behind me, and I have no idea why she would trust me like that.

  Wasting no time, the two adventurers are working to soothe the clingy cat, getting her to eat a little and healing her body. From the looks of it, Sarah is using some sort of body-empowering spell to help out the villager.

  As she regains her strength, the trust in the adventurers returns. And with it comes a boldness as she starts snatching food from Punchy's hand and chowing down on it.

  Nudging Sarah, I point out that she might have to consider conserving her strength, since there are probably gonna be a lot of villagers needing help.

  "Then we must prepare. Sarah, take our new friend to the forest, and I shall hunt for extra food. Dragon, might I ask that you assist me in this task? We will soon have many bellies to fill."

  "Do you have any idea of where we should hunt?"

  "Across the hills where the sun rises, beasts of considerable size roam. We know them as elzdir, and crowning their heads are broad antlers they wield with the proficiency of skilled fighters. It is customary for the Guild to send skilled groups to hunt for their pelts as they hold significant value."

  So the first thing I note is that this mountain of a man just described something else as being of considerable size. That sounds huge. We should go check it out, I bet something like that is delicious!

  "Your eyes glow with the excitement of a coming fight, but we must prepare beforehand. The unprepared often fall before battle begins. And the first thing we must do is make sure our weaponry is the best that it can be."

  His voice is calm, but his body is buzzing with excitement, so I don't wanna hear any of this glowy eye business when he can't hide his excitement either!

  "What devilry has arisen... The muscle-brain has found a kindred soul..."

  Exasperated sighs from healers aside, Punchy is right about that weapon stuff. We should prepare his hammer before we go hunting. I'm not sure what sort of properties a crystal hammer will have, but Punchy seems convinced that it will be better than his current weapon.

  Picking up his buckets, he starts wandering off with me following behind him. We weren't far from the makeshift mold, but with it in proper sight, I notice that it is suspiciously bigger than before. Almost twice as big, measuring dang near forty centimeters (14.7 inches). It's also shaped like a large block, but I don't recall large blocks of material being used as weapons outside of being dropped onto someone.

  Nudging Punchy, I ask if he's sure about the shape, since I'm not. With my questioning, he seems to grow unsure, leaving us at a bit of a standstill in terms of progress. But that just means we'll have to figure something out!

  One thing I know for sure is that spikes are not only cool, but they're also useful. So we'll need a stick to make some spikes in the mold. And we need something to contain the mold, and for that, we need some planks. I think we can build a box of some sort and fill it with sand or soil to create a mold and then dig out the area for the goop to fill and use sticks to create spikes.

  I hope I'm not wrong about any of that, but I can't say for sure. It seems my mumbling has caused Punchy to run off to somewhere. As I look around, I spot Sarah and the cat lady. While Sarah opts to stare at the ground, the cat lady lights up and walks up to me and clings to my arm again.

  The moment Sarah realizes I'm looking at her, she becomes afraid. It appears that having Punchy's protective presence helps calm her nerves, and his absence is quite noted.

  "You don't have to be afraid, Sarah. I'm not gonna hurt you."

  The way she looks at me makes it clear that she isn't convinced. I'm not sure how to go about befriending her, though. This feels like it will end up being a whole thing, so I'm gonna lie down. With a quick step, the cat lady disengages from me before climbing up on my arm and snuggling in.

  "How can such a thing be trusted? You destroyed a town for no reason. You have slaughtered an untold number of Guild members, yet you claim no wish to cause harm? I cannot believe such a thing."

  As she mentions the destruction of Plainshold alongside "no reason," my mood sours as I most definitely have a reason. I do regret the fire spreading through the town and creating a crisis for the townsfolk. I think I need to know how much she knows about that whole situation.

  "How much do you know about the Plainshold situation and why I attacked, Sarah? I want to know as much as you do about it."

  She stares up at me with obvious suspicion, but there is also doubt in her eyes. Maybe this little weirdo can learn a little more about the events she hates me for.

  "The record of the disaster tells us of a group of Guild members hired to cull a kindling of goblins. As they carried out their mission, they were attacked by a Dragon, you."

  "They knew I was in the area. Wreyn and Neithro spread the word that the goblins belonged to me. Wreyn protected the area with a magical field to deter interference, telling the invaders that they should stay away. The group ignored those warnings and killed my people. One of them still lives and you could ask her. Though I would prefer you didn't."

  "A preference you hold, as it would undermine your fable."

  "No... Because it was a traumatic event, and it would hurt her to keep bringing it up."

  "And for that Plainshold had to burn? A few dead goblins do not warrant the destruction of so many blessed lives!"

  "So stop killing my people if you want me to stop being hostile toward adventurers. Lauren went to engage in peace talks, and for her efforts, she was tortured. By your beloved blessed people. I attacked to get her back before they killed her, and they damn near did. It took the help of Merciferus and the power of a Dragon to save her. She lost something precious to her in her effort to save you people from me. Does your record show that, or do you not think it's important?"

  For some reason, Sarah is growing pale at my mention of Lauren being tortured and almost killed. At least she has some pity for someone I like.

  "You would lie about the intervention of a God? The punishment for such an action would be severe. It is blasphemy of significant severity."

  Given how I've talked to Merciferus, I can't help but laugh. I'd even consider us friends at this point.

  Dear Merciferus, I apologize if you hear what I'm about to say.

  "Then let me be struck down by Merciferus for my blasphemy. Merciferus is a bitch sometimes, and she needs to just admit that she wants to join my next bonfire feast. She's welcome to join, though. And she chose a champion who is far better at yelling than fighting."

  Okay, now Sarah is looking very shocked. I didn't think-

  "Are you serious, Kira? You blaspheme to prove a point? Do you not realize that Merciferus will have to punish you for it? And now I have to listen to her laughing in my head again..."

  Good news for me, at least Merciferus found my little experiment funny. Sarah doesn't look all that impressed, though. She's looking a lot less bold than before, and she seems to be weighing what I said. I'm kinda curious how gods punish people if they aren't ones to interfere all that often. I might have to ask Lauren about that.

  "You have met the Champion of Merciferus?"

  "I am friends with the Champion of Merciferus. What about it?"

  "She did not smite you for your wickedness?"

  "She yelled at me, but aside from Merciferus being mean to me this one time, all three of us are on good terms."

  So now she's becoming paler and she's looking very shocked. I don't have time to ask her about it before rustling in the woods draws my attention and I spot Lauren.

  "What possible reason would you have to talk to Merciferus like that, Kira? Now I have to punish you for it..."

  Oh, well that doesn't sound so bad. What can Lauren possibly do to me? I'm much stronger and bigger, so I can just hold her down and do whatever I want anyway.

  "You speak to Merciferus, Cleric? And Her Divine Being speaks to you?"

  "By the Gods, Kira. You could have warned me that Sarah was hiding behind you."

  I don't see why that matters, but it doesn't take long for Sarah to approach Lauren and kneel. She's getting all dirty from that, but I'm sure adventurers are accustomed to that. The fact that Lauren is glaring daggers at me indicates that she wanted to avoid a reaction like Sarah's.

  "Sarah, stop that. Lauren doesn't like it. She's just a normal person."

  As I speak, Sarah starts exuding a strong scent of fear again. I left the dang cat people to avoid the scent of fear. Lucky for me, I get a distraction as Punchy comes running, carrying a crate. Oh! That's clever. We can use that to build the mold for his weapon inside.

  The first thing he does as he reaches us is put down the crate and look between Sarah and Lauren. Sarah is still kneeling and Lauren is still uncomfortable.

  "Sarah, for what reason are you prostrating before the cleric?"

  "We must offer our respect. She is the Champion of Merciferus."

  Lauren responds by rolling her eyes with a sigh. As the good friend that I am, I'll tell him to just ignore that part, since she doesn't want the attention. She's just a normal, somewhat smelly human, as far as I'm concerned. A normal, somewhat smelly, and now glaring-at-me human.

  "I don't smell, Kira. And just get up, Sarah. I know being the Champion of a God is a prestigious position, but I find the notion of standing above others offensive."

  With some hesitation, Sarah gets up, but refuses to look at Lauren. Punchy doesn't seem to have any such issues, which means that we can get to work on this weapon.

  First thing we need to do is fill it with dirt and pack it so it can kinda contain the goop. And for that, I use my claw to rip up the ground as I explain my plan to Punchy. Oh! If we use sand, I could blow fire into the container and make it into glass, and then we can fill the glass with goo and melt the glass away!

  As I bring up sand, Punchy picks up the crate and runs off again. Dang it, he left me with Sarah and Lauren's broody faces... At least I have a fuzzball to cuddle, and she's purring.

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  "Lauren, can we keep this one? I like her."

  "Kira, I've told you already. You can't just take people."

  Dang it... I hope she follows us home.

  "Do you command the Dragon, Champion?"

  Dang it, not this again...

  "I think anyone trying to control Kira would soon find themselves struck by madness."

  Okay, we're taking away her mutagenic privileges, she's already far too capable of burning me. Her mocking smile isn't making her look any less guilty. That's a puff of smoke for sure.

  "But you hold influence over her. Could you not have stopped the siege of Plainshold?"

  I told her not to bring that up. As I begin to growl, the cat lady joins me for emphasis. Now Sarah has two growling ladies to deal with. Instead of telling me to stop, Lauren just puts a hand on my arm and talks to the annoying healer.

  "I was trying to stop it, but the skirmish leader thought it prudent to assault and infect me with Vile Steel. I trust I don't need to explain what that means to someone of elven lineage. I would have preferred that she hadn't burned down a town, but not only did she save me, she uncovered a hidden threat. If you want to admonish her for that, then you should start with the leadership in the Guild letting this happen. The entire operation was fucked."

  First of all, Lauren gets a nudge, so I'm gonna do that now. Second, I do want to undo the whole town-destruction thing. I tell Sarah as much, and she seems to be thinking about it. She did not expect Lauren to back me up.

  I would say a distraction approaches, but there are a lot of them. Punchy is returning with the crate and riding on top of it is Raya. Following behind the two are hundreds of cat people. Geez, that's a lot of them... How the heck are we gonna feed all of them?

  Craning my neck, I nudge the cat lady sitting on my arm, and as she looks up, I expect some excitement, but she just settles in to snooze. My movement does draw the attention of Lauren and Sarah, though. They're quick to follow my line of sight and spot what I'm looking at.

  "So, Lauren, do you have any suggestions for helping these people?"

  "I do. We will need some food for them and to get them into the forest. The forest's spirit can aid in their recovery, but she cannot help us feed them because of how many there are."

  Ooh. We're back to hunting. Now we just need to-

  "Hey Kira!"

  "Hiya Raya!"

  -make Punchy's weapon. I'm thinking a big morning star would be better than a hammer. His strength with a spiked mace would be terrifying. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can make!

  "Dragon, I have had a thought. If you are willing, there is a trade city to the southeast. We could do much to help by buying foodstuffs for these people."

  "Okay, but you have to call me Kira instead of Dragon."

  I haven't minded him calling me 'dragon' so far, it feels respectful when he says it, but I don't want it to become a thing.

  "I accept your terms, Kira."

  The contrast between his bright smile and Sarah's soft glare and slight frown shows how different their opinions of me are. And my opinion of them, Punchy is my favorite of the two.

  "So, how are we going to prevent the city folk from attacking me? They sound like people who would likely attack me."

  "I have not given a description of the city's people."

  "Yeah, that's the part that sounds like I'll get attacked. People."

  He lets out a hearty laugh, but I'm not kidding. People have attacked me more than the dang wolves.

  "Should they wield their weapons against us, I will make them yield."

  Ooh, that makes him responsible for any overly enthusiastic fighters. Before we go, there's one more thing I have to do.

  "Did you encounter any problems with the rescue, Raya?"

  "Nah. I didn't even need to dig. We spread out and searched. They knew where all the entrances were, so it was easy. The thing doing this is hidden somewhere, though."

  Nudging her, I ask what she thinks we should do, and she seems to believe that Punchy's plan is the way to go. Quick and easy food is gonna do wonders to get these people well again. They do appear to be quite skinny and hungry. It might be better to just get going and sort the rest of it out later.

  Lowering my head, I tell Punchy to get on, and he doesn't seem sure of how to go about it, but Raya is quick to show him. With slow movements, I get up, and the cat lady snuggling me jumps off and starts clinging to Lauren. She gets it. Snuggles are the best.

  Punchy's weight is no match for me, but it is quite a lot more than my usual passengers. And unlike my usual passengers, he seems to be holding onto my horns with all his strength, and his legs are tight around my neck. I'm not sure he likes riding, and I'm not sure I can turn my head where he's holding. That's where having a long neck comes in handy!

  The first thing I see as I look back is Sarah snickering to herself, trying not to draw attention, but I'm pretty sure she finds it hilarious how uncomfortable Punchy is. Ooh, I know just what to do. Giving Sarah a smile and a wink, I move my head up and down a few times in quick succession, eliciting quite a scream from Punchy.

  The next thing I see is Lauren covering her face with a hand, Sarah laughing so hard she fell over, and Raya is smiling with her adorable smile. Unfortunately, the sight of the cat people swarm reminds me that we aren't doing this to mess around and we should get going. Spreading my wings, we take off.

  And we're going southeast! The clouds appear to be growing heavier and night is approaching, so we'll be arriving by the time it turns dark. Leaving the fields and plains behind, we fly over more fields and plains, even a meadow. As we fly and the lights of civilization come into view, a question occurs to me.

  "Punchy, how are we paying for all these things we're buying?"

  He still seems to struggle with this whole riding thing, but he's in safe claws with me. I haven't dropped anyone since the dragon skull. Which means we'll deal with payment when we get to it.

  Even at this late hour, the roads below have traffic as folks travel to and from this city, converging at a large gate that could fit me. It seems walls are mandatory, since this trade city has huge walls as well, reminding me of the fortress city back home. The walls aren't decorated with giant siege weapons, though, so that's promising.

  As our trajectory changes for landing, Punchy clenches his thighs even harder and he might actually crack some of my scales. I'm gonna empower them a little with magic to make sure that doesn't happen.

  Even as we touch down, Punchy doesn't move. I'm getting the impression that he might be afraid of flying and never realized it. I didn't think about that, but it makes sense, I haven't seen any domesticated animals allowing flight.

  This time, I've chosen a place further away from the road and, for a change, there aren't any locals screaming in terror.

  "Punchy, we're here."

  I think this is the place. It's a city and there are a lot of merchants going in and out of the town, but it's possible that travel by ground would've taken us somewhere else. I kinda need his confirmation, but he's still out of it. I need a new plan.

  And here it comes. It isn't my plan, but it does change the plan. Mounted warriors charging in my direction with weapons drawn, twenty of them. A great first impression. Tempting as it is, I'm gonna hold off on scorching them. Sitting politely, I wait for their arrival with my half-giant hat.

  I need to find out how they spot me every time I approach. It should be dark enough for my scales to make me tough to see against the night sky, but these charging warriors are becoming a staple of approaching settlements.

  For now, I'll sit down and wait, hoping that my innocent appearance will keep me safe. From the looks of it, they've got a decent arrangement of fighters with melee weapons, archers, and mages. I hope they aren't the antagonistic kind.

  As they get into range, they begin spreading out, surrounding me in small groups.

  "Captain, the beast has taken a hostage!"

  "No, I haven't."

  "The beast speaks!"

  "So does the jerk. Stop calling me a beast, jerk."

  My very reasonable responses haven't disarmed them at all, but they aren't attacking, so I'm taking that as a win. Their armor is making me want them to attack so I can take it, it smells valuable. That wouldn't be conducive to good trade relations, though.

  Instead, I'm gonna tell them that I need food to help some villages of cat people. I might as well be honest here. I even mention that Punchy here is an adventurer who was sent to scout the place.

  The captain guy appears to be more suspicious of me now, but he isn't holding his blade quite as high anymore. I should have brought Raya, she's a much better negotiator than Punchy.

  They mumble among themselves, talking about confirming my story, and not long after, the captain sends a rider into the city again. That's progress! I'm gonna lie down properly and not mind them, they seem content to just stand around waiting.

  "Captain, I believe that's Henry."

  The pressure on my neck lessens, indicating that Punchy is coming to his senses. That's good, and now I might not have to handle this delicate situation. As he lets go of my horns, I raise my head, and he is not prepared for that as he slides off and thumps to the ground.

  As he lies in the grass, his breathing softens. It's a surprise that he has had such a huge reaction to flying, considering I did kidnap him once and we flew back then too. Maybe the rush of battle kept him alert.

  "Kira, I do not think your method of travel suits me."

  "Bad news, Punchy. We have to travel back as well."

  Rather than reply, he just groans, which seems to soften the defensive postures of the soldiers around us. The soldiers continue talking among themselves, mentioning Henry again. Wait, Punchy's name is freakin' Henry?!

  "Your name is freakin' Henry, Punchy?"

  "Yes. Henritaphao is my given name, but the name I carry in the Guild is Henry. Do not act so surprised, it is an honorable name. It means Bear fighting Evil."

  Well, I am surprised. I thought his name would be Skullcrusher the Vast or, I don't know, Bouldersmashing Hammer. It does feel fitting to call him a bear, though, and he does seem to see that I'm not evil since he isn't fighting me.

  "Henry, I have to interrupt your recovery. We're surrounded by a jerk and a bunch of soldiers."

  "What man would stand atop the hill of the fool and proclaim his weakness by offending a Dragon?"

  "That guy."

  As I point out the jerk who called me a beast, Henry looks up and follows my talon's direction and settles his sight on the guy.

  "If not for our noble goal, I would offer to punch him for you, throwing the might of my clan against him. Captain, order your men to stand down. We come on official Guild business, and we require a large wagon loaded with foodstuffs."

  His voice sounds authoritative, but he's still just lying on the ground, using his hands to order people around. And not long after waving some sort of medal around, the captain follows Henry's orders.

  From the sounds of it, we won't have to pay for anything. The captain and Henry talk a few things over, solidifying the plan. The captain isn't quite put at ease, even though Henry is doing a good job of saying that I'm not a threat.

  "Is that not the Black Dragon of Death? Fleeing Guild members from the north have shared stories of a fearsome beast destroying settlements and butchering people."

  "It is not. Allow me to introduce you. This is Kira. She merely wishes for peace and a quiet existence, and to do that, she has taken up arms to assist the lives around her. The Black Dragon of Death is no more.-"

  As he talks, he gets up and starts taking off his armor, letting it fall to the ground and revealing his back.

  "-These burns were given to me by the fearsome beast, yet who shared the field of battle as I fought the fearsome beast? None other than Kira! On that day, I did not stand alone, and that is how I survived the encounter. And it was Kira who allowed those under my charge to escape as I stood my ground. So I ask of you, captain, do not turn away a helping hand. And now, she and I have arrived to gather supplies for villages in crisis."

  Henry is throwing around some questionable phrasing, but he isn't technically lying, I guess. I hope that won't come back to bite me in the ass, but the captain is buying it. And the group of soldiers is calming down, lowering their weapons. I can smell that they're still on edge, but they aren't openly hostile anymore, so I'll take it.

  I do have to apologize to Henry when we fly back to the villages. Those scars look painful, but I don't remember noticing them the last time we saw each other. Maybe Lauren can use her fancy creation magic to heal them.

  Focus, Kira! We're here on a mission to gather food, not to explore past mistakes.

  As I focus on the people around us, the soldiers start guiding their horses back toward the city at the captain's command. I'm getting the impression that Henry has a solid standing within the guild and he's throwing some weight around.

  "It will take some time to get your order ready, Henry. Might I request that you and... Kira... not approach the City? I will have my men bring out the wagon when it is ready."

  He definitely included Henry to not offend me. Well, I don't want to go into narrow streets anyway, they're uncomfortable. The captain and the rest of his men turn around and head back into the city, leaving Henry and me to stand out here on our own.

  Now that we're alone, I'm gonna nudge him and point out that he's a lying liar who lies to officials.

  "When did I lie? We shared the field of battle, you allowed those I protected to flee as you fought me. If I had not had Sarah to assist me, I would not have survived."

  "And what's this about the dragon being no more? I'm plenty more."

  "A simple matter. The beast described is known to be bloodthirsty as it lays waste to the lands. It may have been who you were, but it is not who you are. Let the sins of the past fade and stand tall as you work to make a better tomorrow. The sins are not to be forgotten, yet they are not all you are. Do you wish to be known as a monstrous beast?"

  I do not wish that. I'm just not sure how to undo my mistakes, or at least make up for them. As we talk about it, I mention the same thing I told Sarah. I want to undo my mistake of taking out my anger on the townspeople of Plainshold.

  "Hire the Guild to rebuild the settlement. We have many talents. Speaking for myself, I am a skilled builder and woodworker. I have no knowledge of your wealth, but it is known that Dragons have an affinity for just that. If you truly mean to make up for past sins, I am willing to assist you in the acquisition of a workforce."

  "That sounds very expensive..."

  "I will not deceive you, it will be. To reconstruct housing for a town like Plainshold, I would wager the cost to be several hundred gold."

  Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. Out of curiosity, I flex my crop and regurgitate a little gold to get a better grasp of values in this world. I haven't really cared about it aside from hoarding, and I haven't needed to since I can just hunt for food and dig holes for shelter.

  Wasting no time, Henry starts rummaging through the glob of gold and slime I've deposited on the ground.

  "This won't be enough. I count sixteen gold. It will be enough to hire a handful of builders, though that leaves out workers to gather supplies."

  Geez... If that is enough for a dozen builders, I'm freakin' rich.

  "I'm just curious here, but how much is Dragon's Gold worth?"

  "That is not a question easily answered. It depends on whether it is forged or raw. Has it been shaped into a billet or ingot? I am no merchant, but I would think a three-blade ingot's value would reach five to fifteen gold pieces."

  Geez... I'm freaking stupid rich! And why haven't I thought of paying off my problems earlier? That's so much easier than the ruckus I've caused so far. Although the notion of weakening myself by giving away parts of my place of power does not sit well with me.

  Dang it... It seems obvious to hire a bunch of people to rebuild what I broke, but I don't want to pay for it. Maybe I can circumvent that by spending money I haven't obtained yet. I'll have to talk about it with Elder Turo and Raya. I could include Joras, since he has been collecting a bunch of my biological material.

  "If I do want to hire adventurers, could you help me do it, Henry?"

  Before replying, he sits down next to me and leans against my belly, taking a deep breath along with a stretch.

  "It would be my pleasure to assist you in this matter. There is no doubt in my mind that many would rise to the occasion and contribute toward the restoration of Plainshold."

  "But why? It should be well known by now that I don't like adventurers all that much."

  "That may be so, yet the Guild likes gold, and as we approach the cold days, the opportunity to both perform good while padding coffers will be an opportunity many would welcome. A Guild member who has not had the time or skill to hunt may be lured by the promise of safe work, more so as the beasts of the north have been behaving in a manner most unnatural."

  I have no comment to add about the wildlife. The rest of the plan sounds like something we could do, though. I will also need to procure some food for the people of Plainshold, since I did burn their fields. It made an excellent smokescreen, but it wasn't the best decision long-term.

  As we're relaxing and waiting, Henry shows his greed again as he brings up Dragon's Gold, asking if he can have a carving knife made for his efforts. I'm a little curious about what kind of carving knife he's talking about, and as I ask about it, he pulls out a tiny knife with a blade curving forward.

  Alongside it, he pulls out a small piece of wood and starts carving. It looks like the start of a figurine, and he appears to be quite skilled and tender as he carves small bits away. If that's the sort of carving knife he wants, then I would be up for asking the blacksmith to craft one for him.

  "I don't mind asking Knotten the Blacksmith for a carving knife, but you'll have to carve a wooden dragon for me."

  "Hah! I accept your terms."