The Goddess' Druid

(Chapter 4) Midnight

~A few days later~

Zaratras faced Arcadia with his sword drawn, ready to attack the second she moved. The female smiled, over at Hendrickson, winking, before she seemed to disappear and reappear right in front of the Grandmaster, pushing him down onto the ground and stabbing her sword into the ground beside his head. He looked up at her in shock as Hendrickson choked on the ale he was drinking, before Dreyfus helped him. "I yield, I yield!" he said, panic flashing in his blue eyes. Arcadia smiled and took her sword out of the ground, sheathing it before helping the silver haired man up to his feet. "It's a fair match, brother, so what should her rank be?" Dreyfus asked. Zaratras turned to the purple eyed male and smiled. "I'd say perhaps either Silver or Platinum if I'm being honest. Besides, being a Crystal or a Ruby ranked Holy Knight would make her look like she's barely out of apprenticeship, and the tasks she would be given are far too simple for someone like her." he said, causing the platinum haired lady to smile before looking up at Hendrickson. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open in shock as he tried to find what to say. "Cat got your tongue, Hendy?" she asked, causing his face to redden as he turned away and shook his head. "I'm just surprised is all, considering the fact that we only first met you a few days ago, and you're already willing to stay here." he said, causing Dreyfus to nod. "Ah, yes, about that, why are you staying here after only a few days to decide anyway, Arc? It makes no sense to me." the brunette asked. "Oh, well, there are a few reasons, but the main one is that I've been living alone and traveling for pretty much my entire adult life. I barely remember staying anywhere for very long, but this place seems peaceful, and because Meliodas and Merlin are here, I know that you guys can be trusted for sure." she explained, causing the three to nod in understanding. "Well, why not tell us a little more about yourself? We only know what we know from Lady Merlin and Sir Meliodas, and of course you." Hendrickson asked, causing the woman to smile. "Sure, what do you want to know?" she asked. "How about what in the world is your ability?" Zaratras asked, causing the platinum haired female to stand and transform into a small dragon, surprising the trio. Hendrickson's eyes went wide as she transformed back into herself. "So your magical power is shapeshifting then. Can you turn into other animals?" the teal eyed druid asked, causing Arcadia to nod softly. "I usually like to transform into a prairie cat though, since it's easier to run and all." she said. "Ok, I have one. What are the lesser known places that you've traveled to? Because I know there's at least one on your list." Dreyfus asked. The female thought for a minute before speaking. "If I had to say at least one, probably the Celestial Realm, since few people from the surface, if any, have ever been up there before." she said carefully. Zaratras' eyes went wide. "You've seen the Celestial Realm?! What's it like up there? Are there really Tyrant Dragons with feathered wings up there like I've heard?" he asked, causing her to hold up her hands to stop him. "One question at a time, please." she said, a soft sigh escaping her parted lips before she spoke. "For the first part, it's actually mostly ruins sites, though there are celestials that live up there. It's a rule that their people follow that they can't come down here to the surface because they think the Demon Race has taken over the surface world. As for the second part, yes, there are. In fact, dragons with feathered wings. I have one, though she's a bit shy" she reached into her dress and pulled out a small whistle before blowing into it, causing it to make a high pitched shrill whistling noise before the other three saw a rather small shadow over them, and looked up to see a small dragon with feathered wings. "Her name is Molly, she's my dragonet, and she's a pygmy Celestial dragon. I found her in the forest close to Istar and took her under my-" "Don't you dare say it, Arc, I swear." Dreyfus glared at her. "Under my wing." she squeaked out, before she and Zaratras burst into fits of laughter. "Oh my gods why would you say that?" Dreyfus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hendrickson chuckled slightly, before he felt something crawl into his lap, and looked down to see Milly curling up to take a nap, yawning slightly before she closed her eyes and rested her head on the white haired male's leg. "Hey, she likes you, Hendy." Arcadia said, watching as he took off his gloves and set them on the ground, before gently petting the small dragon. The dragon stirred slightly and opened her eyes, but relaxed and closed them again once she saw that she was still safe. "Many Celestials have them as messengers to each other, and they're great trackers, which is why wherever I go, she always seems to find me by scent alone." she explained, before the small dragon woke up and crawled out of Hendrickson's lap, going over to Arcadia before getting up on its two hind legs and hugging her arm. "They can also form emotional attachments to their carriers as well." she said, scratching the dragon's chin as she spoke. The small creature started to let out a squeaky purring noise, contentedly nuzzling against Arcadia's arm. She picked up the reptile and set her down in her lap, petting her and scratching her chin. Hendrickson turned and watched with awe as she held the small dragon, cradling it almost like one would hold a baby. "You're holding her like a child." Zaratras said, chuckling as the blue eyed female looked over at him. "That's because to me, she's my baby, and I love her very much." Arcadia said, setting Molly down and letting her walk around. She went over to Dreyfus and climbed onto his shoulder, hugging his head before getting back down and going over to Zaratras. The dragonet went over and got into his lap, curling up and going back to sleep. "She seems to sleep a lot for a dragonet. Most young dragonets are very active and move around a lot." He observed, gently petting the small dragonet. "Yeah, Molly has always been a bit clingy, but she still gets messages to people when I ask her to. Speaking of," she saw that a letter was in the carrier pack that she had on her side. "Molly, come here." She said, causing the dragonet to perk up and get out of Zaratras' lap, before running back to Arcadia. The female untied the string holding the carrier pack closed, before taking out the letter and reading it to herself. It read: