"What is this place?" the red dragonute muttered to himself, the village beyond the entrance of a kind he had not encountered in all his years. Its people especially seemed to be a mix of all kinds, not just the dragons and humans he was familiar with. This he could tell after just barely passing under the stone brick archway of an entrance in between merchant stands on either side along the adjacent walls. Viranti wandered near a set of kiosks and was soon subject to eager sellers, newly opened for the day and more than ready to do business.
"Greetings newcomer! Might I interest you for a lovely tunic?" offered a lively vendor holding said green article, their face brightening at the site of his abysmal rags.
"My, you are a
big one, aren't you? And a warrior at that! Come and peruse my collection of blades, guaranteed freshly sharpened and more than capable of handling your needs!" called another salesman from a booth away.
Viranti was less than interested in any of their sales pitches and was getting more and more irritated at their exuberant presumptuousness. Still, the offers persisted as he made attempts to get information, but only receiving more spiels in return.
"Care for a sampling of perfume?" a female seller of fragrant oils charged with giving complimentary samples spoke to him from behind, he immediately turning but already not in the mood for any more foolishness.
"
No, and for the last time, I need to know the location of the Orac- arrghh!" he winced as the lady sprayed him with a mist of lavender from a bottle she was holding. Viranti broke out in a fit of coughing, the fit itself keeping him from making the lady's first day on the job her last. "Why yooouu...!" he snarled, his voice muffled somewhat due to his left hand clenching his snout. His other hand rose to unsheathe his sword and would have surely put it to use if not for the intense sound of an explosion from high above another part of the village. Viranti, along with the gasping crowd around him, all gazed in unison at the violent spectacle until it dispersed into nothing.
Alright! Now we're getting somewhere! Viranti grinned, now with something to focus on instead of the burning floral scent in his nostrils. The young desert dragon traveled with renewed purpose straight for the tavern, running and then scaling to the rooftops of any establishment in his path. He may have received the occasional odd look by a villager who couldn't help but notice his swift moving shadow from overhead or the sounds associated with his jumping from one roof to another. But he couldn't care less at the moment.
What did however cause him pause, was the audible and immediately observable rips and tears of his prison rags, most notably a split in his shirt's left shoulder that grew worse with time, making good on its threat and riving apart as he landed on top of a tailor's shop with a view of the tavern in the distance and the diverse crowd at its entrance. Part of his chest exposed, Viranti sighed angrily, knowing at least that he couldn't continue like this, and so sought out a secluded space where he could change to his extra pair of clothes. He didn't have to search long as he spotted a wooden hatch to the shop's attic, not believing anyone would mind if he quickly made use of it.
Lef