Chapter 5: New Dragon

The dragon skeleton rolled from its side onto its feet and stood tall. Its damaged skull had apparently healed as part of the zombification, even if the flesh was gone.

Vulp helped Shiba to her feet. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured.

Despite being covered in blood and guts, she focused her eyes on the undead dragon and walked over to it, unintimidated by its size.

Her enormous familiar lowered itself to meet her gaze. As the two stared at each other, Daphne ran closer and called out to Shiba.

“Is that really the same dragon that defended me before!?”

“No,” Shiba called back. “The skeleton is the same, but not the mind.”

“Actually…” Daphne looked all around her. “I think the spirits are telling me the dragon still rests within my body?”

“You’re not planning on summoning it, right?” Kat asked to confirm as she stood up and dusted herself off. She’d mostly escaped the wall of gore thanks to Vulp’s shield.

“Of course not!”

“Good,” said Kat. “Grummanonth said the problem should go away soon.”

“All right. I’ll believe him. He did give me a title after all.” Daphne recalled her title, Daphne the Defender.

“How is it?” Vulp asked Shiba.

Shiba gestured, and the dragon skeleton spun around 360 degrees. It then lowered its head, and Shiba climbed up to ride on top. “So far so good! I think I need to stay like this for a while.”

“Oh, you think you’ll be able to…” Vulp glanced at Daphne and hesitated about whether or not to explain the attunement process as she understood it.

Daphne picked up on the awkward pause. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t even care.” She turned to face east. “You all don’t mind if I continue on without you, right? You look like… some of you will need some time to… clean yourselves off…”

“You’re not surprised by the dragon zombie thingy that Shiba is controlling right now?” asked Kat.

“After everything else I’ve seen recently? Nah. See y’all later!” Daphne departed without looking back.

Bandit looked Lupy up and down.

“What?” Lupy glared back at Bandit.

“Oh, I was just thinking I’m not the only one who smells this time.”

Lupy groaned, remembering what she’d told Bandit after the mission at Zaranar Harbor. “Let’s find a place to clean ourselves off…”

“What about Shiba?” asked Kat, who was far less desperate for a bath.

“Don’t care.” Lupy started walking in the direction most likely to offer their party relief from the sensation of blood and guts all over them.

“You’re just frustrated that Shiba has a bigger and stronger monster than you, now,” Bandit prodded.

“At least mine isn’t a demon woman!” Lupy snapped back.

“Shiba?”

Shiba looked down from her perch atop the dragon skeleton’s head in response to Vulp’s call. “What?”

“Why are you clean?”

Shiba looked herself up and down. “Oh? I don’t know.”

Kat, Lupy, and Bandit all looked back and forth between one another, then all at the same time, started sprinting toward the dragon’s body.

“Does it heal, too!?” Kat screamed.

“Its breath healed back when it was alive, right!?” Vulp shouted back. “Maybe it kept that ability?”

“Healing and cleaning are different!” Kat retorted.

The girls spent the next few minutes hugging the skeleton as though they were seeking warmth. All but Shiba let go once they confirmed they were clean. Their clothing was fresh and their skin was smooth.

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DM decided he needed to act quickly before more dragon shenanigans came about. He would reassign the dragon from Daphne to one of his dungeons. His current choices were the nearby dungeon in the Empire or the “wyvern dungeon” further southeast. He wasn’t certain if it made sense to assign the dragon to the wyvern dungeon. His agonizing over it had resulted in a situation where Daphne was nearly killed by Dracokonovich, so it was probably time to make the decision.

“Hey, Grummanonth.”

“Yes, DM?”

“I need your advice.”

First DM explained everything he had witnessed between Daphne, Dracokonovich, and the new dragon Eliza the Permafrost from the north, who even Dracokonovich seemed to treat with respect. Grummanonth had sensed the movement of dragons so he was not terribly surprised.

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DM then walked Grummanonth through the two choices for dungeons and asked for a suggestion on which to use.

“Wyverns are supposed to be our messengers for when we acquire additional dungeons, DM. I do not know the reason why dragons and wyverns tend not to spawn within the same dungeon. It may have to do with whatever special energy is used to summon such entities.”

“So you don’t know either, huh?” DM had been hoping Grummanonth knew more than that. “I guess I should spawn the second dragon in Guluk Dungeon then. It’s kind of close to the Lower Gordu, though.”

“DM, I dare say it hardly matters. You can always reassign the dragon later.”

DM didn’t expect that suggestion. “Grummanonth, won’t that be disrespectful to the dragon, assigning them to one dungeon, obtaining their agreement to rule over it, and then suddenly pulling the rug out from under them and moving them somewhere else?”

“Do not worry, DM. I will speak with my junior dragon at length.”

DM wasn’t sure exactly what Grummanonth would say, but he decided to trust his loyal subordinate. He got to work entering commands into the dungeon console. Indeed, he was now able to spawn a dragon. He had the choice to either spawn it in the Lower Gordu Dungeon and later transport the dragon to the Guluk Dungeon, or spawn the dragon directly into the dungeon he or she would control.

“Grummanonth, does it matter if I first spawn the dragon here versus directly into the Guluk Dungeon?”

“Nah. Why not spawn the dragon to the Upper Gordu Dungeon? I would relish the opportunity to introduce myself directly and explain our circumstances.”

Once again, DM decided to trust Grummanonth. “I can do that. Make room.”

A minute later, the dungeon system spawned a dragon in Grummanonth’s chamber. DM had an infected creature in place to observe.

“Welcome, nameless sister. You stand before Grummanonth the Moonwalker.”

“I have arrived, Grummanonth the Moonwalker.” The newest dragon had shimmering scales of multiple colors, unlike the other dragons DM previously saw. She stared at Grummanonth. “You are not the one that summoned me.” She didn’t remark about Grummanonth’s unusual title.

“Correct. I volunteered to explain our circumstances.”

“Oh, I see.” She didn’t seem particularly alarmed. “I bear memories of another.”

“Please explain.”

The new dragon provided a fairly detailed account of the actions carried out by Daphne’s dragon in the hours prior. She was able to confirm that the dragon’s strategy of protecting the young elf was developed based on collaboration with the spirits. Had Daphne not been an elf, it was unlikely she would have survived the encounter.

“Nameless sister, you likely hold those memories because you were summoned so soon after the death of our brother.”

“Indeed, Grummanonth the Moonwalker. Now, am I born into servitude?”

“No, you are not required to serve. I was granted the option to operate a dungeon by the prime Dungeon Master who currently controls four dungeons. Had I declined, I had the choice of dismissal.”

“Why does the Dungeon Master not attempt to force obedience?”

“He seems to be against compelling action in most cases. However, he has never made unreasonable demands of me and I do not regret agreeing to take custody of this dungeon. I consider him a friend. He also bestowed upon me this mighty name.”

“I should meet with him myself.”

“Indeed. I will transfer you to the Lower Gordu Dungeon right now.”

The rainbow-colored dragon shifted to stand at the center of the chamber. “I am ready.”

“DM, I am initiating the transfer.”

“Go ahead, Grummanonth.”

In a flash, the dragon appeared in DM’s chamber.

“You are… a tentacle monster?”

“I am. I go by DM.”

“Something is not right.”

“You’re telling me…”

The rainbow dragon proposed a theory. “Did you used to be human?”

“Yes. I’m impressed you figured that out so quickly.”

She wasn’t finished. “Are you originally from far away?”

“Yes, but I’m curious how far away you are thinking…”

She pointed at the dungeon console. “Farther away than most can comprehend.”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Very well.” She lowered her head. “Thank you for summoning me. Is it your wish for me to take custody of one of your many dungeons?”

“If you don’t mind. It’s hard to keep track of so many by myself.”

“Before that, may I travel the world?”

“Huh?” DM didn’t mind if she had a special request, but he wasn’t expecting something so significant. “The entire world?”

“It won’t take me long. I have a desire to see it.”

“I don’t mind but… won’t it throw the world into disarray if a dragon is wandering around?”

“I see why Grummanonth the Moonwalker is so enamored of you. I assure you my travels won’t cause too much trouble for the peoples of the land. Unlike the nameless brother who died recently, I will not become a cause for consternation among the named dragons. Some of the local people may worship me as a passing deity or charm of good fortune as I journey, but that is of little consequence.”

“Wait a moment.” DM switched the target of his telepathic communication. “Grummanonth, is there any problem with allowing the new dragon to travel the world first?”

“Only the delay it will cause you, DM. If you can manage a few weeks without her, I recommend you abide by her wishes. I too was thinking of requesting such a trip, but I was going to wait one or two thousand years first. I’m not in any hurry.”

Some of what Grummanonth said was a bit disturbing, but at least he seemed supportive of the new dragon’s request. DM turned his attention back to the youngest dragon.

“I don’t mind if you go traveling. May I cast infect on you so I can observe as well?”

“Certainly. Also, please grant me a name and title as you did for Grummanonth.”

DM should have expected this, but he still felt like he was being put on the spot. “Your colorful appearance is worthy of a colorful name. Do you have any special property aside from your appearance to inform my decision?”

“I need time to explore my abilities, but I seem to hold dominion over light.”

“Light? Let me think.” DM considered how Grummanonth was named and decided to stick with a similar theme. “You are the Sunseeker.”

“The Sunseeker?”

“Aditya the Sunseeker. Since you’re a seeker, unlike Grummanonth’s title of Moonwalker, hopefully it won’t cause too much confusion among the other dragons.”

“Aditya the Sunseeker. Very well. It has a divine ring to it.”

DM found Aditya’s intuition to be a bit terrifying. “Once your journey is complete, please return so I can grant you control over a dungeon.”

“Very well.”

DM made a few modifications so his newest dragon ally could quickly exit the Lower Gordu Dungeon. Aditya squeezed through the final stairway to the outside where she encountered a very surprised Olivia.

“A dragon!” Olivia fell backwards.

“A human!” Aditya mimicked Olivia’s fall.

“You’re so… colorful…”

“Indeed.” Aditya flapped her wings and rose into the sky.

DM addressed Grummanonth. “And I thought she seemed like the serious type…”