[Exam Solo] The not so dragon prince.

A drawn out sigh of annoyance leaving the man as he wandered about the village, dressed down to his casual best which merely lacked his formal jacket among his normal attire. Well that, and the snazzy new addition of his cane to more add to his flair. He'd been spending the day so far gathering tiny bits of details as to where the boy, and his kidnapper, had vanished to and the events that had lead to the creature's interest in the youth of the village. It was unfortunate that not much was answered to the latter, but at the very least a location had been given to him. Still, his consistent act of being a 'hero for fun' had to be maintained, as cane and thick soles all clacked along the ground as he walked. "Were only my job to save the boy I could be there and back by dinner... But no... I had to be tasked with handling the menace too. What a bother..." Words that left him which only served to hide his true inner dialogue, reflecting repeat concern and curiosity over the events. There was something else going on beneath the surface... Why was it only targeting the young? If it was a search of food or servitude, surely it'd not differentiate between adults and child for it's purposes...  Well, no matter for the moment. Step one was to actually locate the thing's potential den and actually save the child in question.

Philemon was, thankfully, a man built with speed in mind. The Butterfly Slayer's natural movement and flight not only serving to get him to the village in not time at all from his lovely roost at the Guildhouse, but also from the village towards the mountains he was to 'investigate.' Reaching the area with time to spare, implying he really even knew what the imposed time limit of the mission was, and taking some time to soar around the skies above. No sign of the creature in question, but that was more an issue than a boon as it meant finding it's NEST. Mountains were... Fairly notorious for how many crevices and caves one could find themselves in even as they arrived at the more narrow tips. Speed was on his side, but it was still a pain trying to narrow down where the nest could be. Tracking was NOT one of Philemon's native skills, and it showed with how quickly he moved to sit down on one of the random rocks sitting around, letting out an exasperated sigh. He didn't have TOO much more ground to cover but-.. Well that thought didn't need to last long, head tilting as he could make out the soft sound of a crying child echoing through the nearby cave system he happened to be perching beside.  A quick tap of his cane to the ground as several of his butterflies began to shine brightly, serving as a light source as he stepped into the caves ahead.

It was, thankfully, easier to follow the sound of crying than to pick out a single cave on a mountain to search, the light serving to keep him from tripping up in the otherwise dark tunnel. Coming up on the child was a sight to behold: The boy was thankfully very much unharmed, curled up into the back of one of the deeper caves, holding up what could only be called a dried and old tree branch he was most likely praying would serve as some kind of defense if the creature returned. Philemon was far from hidden, especially as the light illuminated him and the boy upon him nearing. A gentle hand reached out, his hat taken from his head and resting on his breast, cane underneath his arm. "Be not afraid, dear child. You're in safe hands now. I've come to take you home."

The soft sniffling of the child lessened, his defensive posture joining, as he eyed Philemon closely. Trembling over his words as he spoke out, voice softened, "Daddy sent you? You're going to get me out of here!?" A soft chuckle leaving the Butterfly Mage, "That is true. Rest at east, for the Hero of Butterflies has heard your cries and will ferry you home." The boy taking his hand, lifting up from the ground as he continued to sniffle a bit. Philemon taking out a cloth from his vest pocket, using it to dry the boy's cheeks. "Now, how about we get you out of here before the beast returns, mmm?" The boy staring at him blankly for a moment, "...You mean before it wakes up?" There was a dreading moment of realization from Philemon at those words. They had, after all, been far from silent... And a soft turn of the head revealed: That beast had ABSOLUTELY awoken.

Dragonfly was accurate enough, more a lizardlike beast with the wings of a dragonfly and the beak of a bird. Not that odd creatures like this hadn't been heard of before, though it was absolutely something to look at when one thought he was safe. The loud shriek of an angered beast told Philemon all he needed to know: It was time to act. A gentle hand on the boy's shoulder as he whispered, "I'll see you at the entrance, follow the lead of my butterflies. Go!" The butterflies wrapping around the boy as Philemon gave him a somewhat gentle shove toward the entrance, the butterflies bursting with magic as the boy vanished and reappeared just close enough to the exit to start running, a couple of the butterflies following him to serve as light. Now it was just Philemon and the creature.

Another loud cry as it leapt at the mage, who dodged past the incoming mass, hand keeping his hat on his head from falling free. Letting out another annoyed sigh, "Truly I despise being in battle but I suppose it can not be helped. Come now, let us dance." All he had to do was keep the creature distracted, and wait for the boy to get to the entrance. Easier said than done, as the creature swiped at Philemon with it's claws before quickly turning towards the entrance, starting to dart after the escaping child. Quick movement back in the way of the beast, fluttering in front of it as a nuisance, before dodging out the way of beak or claw once again. He didn't desire to hurt the creature, not that he had much capability to... But it was almost inevitable. Starting to give the beast what was loosely defined as rough love taps, his foot or fist against the beast's sides as he continued to play the game of distraction. A war of attrition, one that thankfully ended with the beast falling on the ground, breathing heavily in mix of pain and exhaustion. The latter Philemon feeling too, even though he didn't use a lot of magic. Landing on the ground finally, tipping his hat to the beast. "Hopefully you'll remember this lesson in manners. Do refrain from kidnapping any more children."

Intending to leave with that, he turned toward the exit, starting off to meet with the child. More sobbing though... But this time, it was not that of the child. Turning back he noticed the creature was the one in tears, whimpering a bit. This... Actually caught Philemon off guard, as he turned to face it once more. "Come now. No tears, what did you expect when you kidnapped someone's child?" Crossing arms like a stern parent, despite the more annoyed than stern tone. Surprisingly, the creature replied, "I'm sorry!" Came what he could consider a youthful and feminine voice, "I didn't mean to keep him... I've been lonely here. I don't know where the others went, and I don't have anyone to play with. I just wanted someone to play with I'm sorry!" Sniffling more, Philemon letting out another sigh. That explains the fascination with children... A beast still in it's youth and with no one around. He approached the creature, resting a hand on it's beak as he spoke. "Well. Kidnapping isn't the answer, no? You've given the townsfolk quite a scare actually. They fear you'll come for all their children, and that is far from the desired outcome on all parts." There had to be an answer to all this...

It was hours later, Philemon had returned the child to town and spoke with the mayor. The creature's situation was... Unique, albeit troubling for them. It lived somewhere hard for people to reach, and mutually after this ordeal he didn't expect the townsfolk to want to welcome someone that had scared them. But as far as he was concerned his job was done. "Hey, Mister Philemon?" Words came from beside the man as he was flying back towards home, his head tilting towards the very beast in question. "Are you certain your guild will like me?" The man offering a soft smile back towards her, "I promise, you'll be welcome in very open arms at the Luminous Rose~" Thinking softly to himself how much trouble he was going to get in for not asking Desiree's approval first...

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ઇଓ Thread: C to B Rank Examination Solo Prompt! ઇଓ
ઇଓ Word Requirement: 1000 Words ઇଓ
ઇଓ Ending Count: 1532 Words ઇଓ