Surrounded by a solid block wall, Gravestead was reasonably well protected. I reminded myself to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention, at least until my pets and I could safely fight other champions in a dungeon. I approached the two guardsmen stationed at the city gate.
Vixen’s over-sized clothing amused them, and they didn't try to hide it. Grinning, they asked a few questions about where we came from and what we planed to do in the city. My pet had expected their questions, and had volunteered to handle it. Already bored by just the thought of dealing with petty bureaucrats and officials, I had agreed.
Upon entering the city, my eyes immediately began to water, as my nose was instantly assaulted by the reek of unwashed flesh, week-old night soil, and rotting trash. I hated Gravestead immediately.
"I forgot how horrible human cities smell," said Vixen, wrinkling her nose. "Eventually, you become somewhat accustomed to it."
An unpleasant thought. Just one night, then I should be able to leave. I just need some equipment and to join the adventurers guild. Then we can leave.
"Guide me to a tailor," I said.
"How expensive of a tailor? One that sells cheap clothing such as this," she gestures at her coarse linen outfit, "or someone that supplies merchants and minor nobility? I only know of one tailor that serves the higher nobility, but they cost a fortune anyway."
Silly question. What kind of clothing does she think I would wear? I opened her coin purse, and dropped a few dozen gold coins, from my hoard, into it. "Most of the time, I don't care to participate in trade, and I dislike haggling. Let me know when it runs low."
Her eyes bulged when she looked in, although I could barely scent her shock over the miasma polluting the city air.
"Apparently money isn't a concern," Vixen said, "Ciarra, do you know how much this is worth?"
"Not really," I admitted.
"Cheap beer and a meal costs one copper, a night in a good inn costs seven. Ten copper make one silver mark, ten marks make one gold. But, these aren't small gold coins. They are nobles gold, each one is worth ten normal gold. It's enough to live like kings for years! It's not going to…" Then she remembered who she was talking to, and fell silent.
"I'm far more than a king," I said, then repeated myself. Just to be clear, "Let me know when it runs low." Why bother keeping track for myself, when I have a pet that can handle it for me. Everything she has is mine anyway, including everything in her purse and the clothes on her back.
Wealth is just another form of power, and I tended to use it with the bluntness of an avalanche. In a very literal sense, haggling isn't worth my time. Finding more gold is trivial. Sufficient quantities of gold ore slightly twists the worlds magic field, not by much, but its enough for me to detect.
She nodded in agreement, still looking a little wide eyed. People are strange. She's more shocked than when I shifted into a dragon. I guess it makes sense, she spent years begging, and as the lowest ranking bandit, she would have received the smallest share. As someone that's spent her life scrambling for coppers, she's in for quite a surprise.
I followed my pet as she led us through the streets. Exiting onto a busy intersection, she paused and turned back to me. "Three of the four major sections of the city meet here. Behind us is the foreigners quarter." she points north. "That's the merchants quarter, the shop I'm looking for is on the far side of it," then she gestures to the east, "Officially, that's the commoners quarter, but everyone calls it the slums."
Turning north, she froze for a second, eyes locked on a large three story building. Hate rolled off her, the scent so sharp and pungent that it cut through the more general stink of the city. Without a word she continued walking. Such strong hate. How curious. Everything I did, and she never felt hate towards me, just rage. I wonder what that was about.
"Who's in that building?" I asked, and pointed at it.
"The thieves guild." She looked away, from me, and from the building.
"They gave you the scar," I said, remembering her story.
Her voice was clipped and harsh when she finally replied. "I was thirteen, still covered with bruises from the adventurers guild throwing me out, and hadn't eaten in a week. I politely asked to join. At dinner their guild leader found out how horrible my agility was. His second held me down, while he sliced open my face. Then they threw me out.
"Apparently, 'I embarrassed him.' I should have died, but the beggars guild found me.
"For the next year, that bastard added a new requirement for joining the guild. First they had to track me down, and drag me back. After dinner, the potential recruit would present me to him. The bastard would tell everyone about how I tried to join with an agility of one, they would all laugh. Then he would dip a stiletto in greater synoeca venom, and stab me with it. A few hours later, after my screaming died down, they would throw me out.
"Several times a month someone would drag me back. They always found me, no matter what I did"
After some thought, I said, "Would you make another oath, if I promised to kill him and destroy his guild once I'm finished here?"
Suddenly she was in my arms, face inches from mine. I had caught her instinctively when she leapt up. "YES! What oath? I'll swear almost anything." Her tail wagged violently. Her tail has hardly moved since I met her. So, that's a big yes. To bad she doesn't have anything left to give.
Chuckling, I said, "I don't know yet, but I'll think about it."
She nodded happily, jumped down, and went back to leading the way. Her tail twitched excitedly. The reek of the city streets lessened as we moved deeper into the merchants quarter. An idea struck me.
"Vixen," I crooned, "I have an oath for you."
Jumping back up into my arms, she asked, "Yes, Ciarra?"
[Content removed per request.]
Spoiler: Spoiler
Short Version: Ciarra offers to destory the theives guild if Vixen makes a second oath, and Vixen eagarlly agrees.
The full scene is available here: https://storiesonline.net/s/20605:216297/chapter-9-ciarra-the-cold
[Continued scene...]
Just a few streets later, we reached the tailor. As we walked up to the door, a man who reeked with arrogance exited. He sniffed disdainfully, and said, "You would be better served by another tailor, one that caters to lizardkin commoners." To my surprise, Vixen snarled and lunged for his throat, dagger in hand, tail bristling. He let out a high pitched shriek, stumbled back, and fell against the wall.
Laughing, I caught her, mid leap, by the scruff of her neck, and pulled her into my arms.
"My lovely little pet," I said, scratching between her ears, "If you kill him, people will panic and run, guards will be called. Then you'll need to kill them, and even more would follow. It could be hours before they gave up. At the end of it all, my time would have been wasted, and I still wouldn't have new clothes.
"Besides, my pride isn't so easily wounded. In the long run, ignoring arrogant fools is much more entertaining than killing them."
"Sorry, Ciarra. I'll do better next time," she said, ears drooping, tail tucked between her legs.
"Killing is easy, but it can lead to wasted time. Better to ignore them." Like Kinathor. It should have been a simple trade with the dwarves. Sensing gold near a dormant volcano, I came to the dwarves to trade the location for a share. Building up my hoard through these oaths was far more efficient than stealing. Until I met their arrogant little princeling. Annoyed, I killed him, then I had to kill his guards, then all of the royal guards. Arrogant fools. I had to destroy their palace and half the city before they listened. What should have taken less than an hour, wasted almost a week.
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A rainbow of folded cloth covered the back wall, and a few dozen different outfits hung from pegs and racks. Not what I'm looking for at all. The fabric was beautiful, but the clothing seemed designed to stifle movement, and to cover as much of the body as possible.
"My name is Mabel, How may I serve you?" asked the pretty young woman who waited in the room.
"None of these are acceptable. What other options do you have?" I asked.
"Um, we don't sell anything like that," she said timidly, gesturing at my clothing. "Most of our clients are of the aristocracy. I can recommend another tailor if you would prefer."
"My choices were wearing this, or going without," I said. I examined a dress, "Excellent fabric, and I love the lack of seams. Must be magic based construction. Unfortunately, I need something easy to move in. Something that shows off the body instead of concealing it.
"Oh, Yes. Let me introduce you to Madame Alysia."
She opened the back door, and we entered room where several women worked on dresses. Enchanted looms moved by themselves, and they altered the dresses by slicing open and reweaving the fabric. Mabel called an elegantly dressed older woman over.
"Madame Alysia, this woman would like a dress that displays the body and doesn't restrict movement."
Alysia showed me several outfits, but I didn't like any of them, all were far more conservative than I wanted. Finally, I stopped walking, and pulled Mabel between us.
"How much for your dress?" I asked her.
Confused, she said, "Many alterations would be needed before it fit you, and it's an older design. After you paid for the altercations, it would probably be cheaper to purchase a new one."
I sighed, and turned to Alysia. "What's the most expensive dress you have?"
She said, "Twenty gold, but it's a special order for the queen."
"Mabel, I don't want to wear it. Just stand there, and I'll make alterations to show Alysia what I want. Do that, and I'll give you twenty gold. Deal?"
The room fell silent, except for the quietly weaving looms.
She gulped. "Yes, but…" I interrupted her by pressing a finger to her lips.
"Speak again, before I'm finished, and the deal is off," I said. She shut up.
Extending a talon, I quickly sliced open the front of her dress, turning it into a nice v-neck that exposed her cleavage. Cutting open the back, I left everything exposed from her shoulder blades to lower back. Then I sliced the skirt off mid calf, and slit the side all the way up to her hip.
Nodding with satisfaction, I turned away from my blushing mannequin.
"One for each of us," I gestured to Vixen and myself, "in the next two hours, I'll pay twenty gold apiece. Can you do it?"
Alysia looked shocked, but she said, "Yes, assuming we have enough of whichever fabric you select."
"Assuming I'm happy with them, I'll purchase as many different outfits as you can make in the next… Vixen, my primary reason for coming here shouldn't take longer than two days. How do you feel about waiting another three before I fulfill my oath to you?"
"I have absolute confidence, you will hunt him down. That gives me peace. A few days is nothing."
"After these first two, you have five days to make as many outfits as you can. Half for me, and half for Vixen. I'll pay twenty gold for each.
Talon still extended, I pressed a finger up under Alysia's chin. "Don't even think about skimping on quality so that you can produce more outfits." She smelled offended, but just nodded in accent when I released her.
"I should show you a few more examples," Looking up at the still silent seamstresses staring at me, I said, "Anyone else want to volunteer?" Vixen choked, then started laughing, her tail twitching back and forth.
Everyone volunteered, even Alysia.
I demonstrated another five dresses on my new mannequins, we discussed coloring and fabric. Now that she seemed to understand what I wanted, I also gave her permission to come up with her own designs.
While they took our measurements, Alysia's bookkeeper, Sherana arrived.
Scenting increasing curiosity from Sherana, I wasn't really surprised when she finally said, "I may ask mother to make one for me to wear for my husband, but only in the privacy of our home. I couldn't wear one in public. I'm not trying to be offensive, but I've got to ask. Are you really going to?"
Vixen laughed, and said, "You have no idea. When I met her, I was with a group of about thirty bandits, most of whom the male. She was completely nude, and completely comfortable."
"What happened?" asked the bookkeeper.
"You can guess what happened. Our leader decided she would make a good slave and we tried to capture her. I'm the lone survivor. Ciarra's the best thing that has ever happened to me." Her scent was filled with absolute conviction, and something I could only call love. She's a cute little pet.
Sherana said, "Lady… I'm sorry, I don't know your name. Or your title."
It's been a millennium since I last used a title. I preferred my solitude. "Title? I haven't use one in a long time, but my last one was, Ciarra The Cold, Frozen Queen Of The Glaciers."
"You're a queen?" asked one of the girls, her eyes as big as saucers.
"A queen without subjects," I replied absently, scanning the room. I hadn't expected anyone to take the title seriously, but someone radiated fear. It only took a moment to find the source, the bookkeeper had frozen in place. "Vixen, guard the door," I said, ignoring the confused looks around me.
Vixen doesn't hesitate, she darts to the door and locks it. Then turns around, and leans against it, dagger in hand. Smart little pet. She was the right choice.
I'll make them finish the first two before I eat them. Such a shame. I hoped to fill our wardrobes. Striding across the room, I headed towards Sherana. She flinched back, and fell out of her chair, then came up swearing, "I swear, I will never reveal anything learned here today, without your permission, under your name, Ciarra The Cold, Frozen Queen Of The Glaciers." Oh. That's a much better option. I'll still have all my beautiful dresses.
Everyone but Sherana and Vixen seem very confused.
Sherana shouts for attention, "Everyone! Make the same oath I did. Right now."
Alysia started to talk, but Sherana just spoke over her. "Mother, do as I said. And make your people swear as well. Then start making her dresses. She'll kill us if we don't."
A few minutes later, the scared bookkeeper had everyone's oaths, although only her mother seemed to really believe the danger was real.
I settled down to wait. Lashing my tail around Vixen's waist, I pulled her up into my arms, and started scratching her.
Sherana hesitantly approached, I could smell traces of her curiosity. "I'm a scholar, on the path to become a loremaster and I'll never forgive myself if I don't at least try. Please, may I ask some questions?"
Vixen suddenly speaks up from my lap, "Ciarra, what are you? What does your title mean? I thought Primordial Dragon was a powerful subspecies of drake, but that was obviously wrong."
"Yes, my pet," I smiled. "Let's see how much you know, Sherana. Answer her questions, and I'll answer yours."
Sherana hesitated, then said, "When the gods formed the world, legend say that the Primordial Dragons spontaneously formed from the chaotic creation energy that was released. The first of the Eternals, they are as old as the world itself. Comparing her to a drake is like comparing the ocean to a cup of water.
"In the beginning there were twelve of them. Only six remain. Five were killed by rivals, long before civilization existed. The last died fighting against the combined might of the Sorcerer's Guild, Wizard's Guild, and Adventurer's Guild, at the height of their power. The Sorcerer's Guild was destroyed, every single member died in the battle. The other two guilds were decimated, bringing the Age of Magic to an end.
"Her title was mentioned in an old elven manuscript by their greatest loremaster. She said the last ice age was caused by, and I quote, 'Ciarra The Cold, Frozen Queen Bitch Of The Glaciers'."
Sherana paled, the scent of fear spiking, "Please forgive me, I'm terrified, and not thinking clearly."
Chuckling, I waved her concerns away, "As I recently told Vixen, My pride isn't so easily wounded. Xelburrayn attacked me, we fought for several months before I ripped off his wings. He submitted and swore he would never bother me again. Our battle altered weather patterns across the world, and caused the last ice age. So, your loremaster isn't completely right or altogether wrong."
Sherana said, "Humans have a natural stat range of 1 through 10, some adventurers have reached 25 through bonuses or special abilities. One mortal had a unique skill that allowed him to reach 50 strength. That's the highest stat any mortal has ever had. If it's not too personal, what's the range of a Primordial Dragon?"
Vixen said, "That can't be right, can it? Character points can be spent on stats as well as ranking up abilities. A high level adventurer should be able to easily reach 50 or more in any stat, if they are willing to give up a few ranks in their abilities. Someone must have done it."
Sherana replied, "Character points can't be used to do more than double a stat. A fighter can double their strength from 10 to 20 fairly easily. Just gain 5 levels, then spend five gold on a priest. As a foxkin, your agility and mind have a natural maximum of 12, but your strength and toughness are limited to 8, so even with character points you will never have more than 24 agility.
"Personally, I'm glad that limit is there. Stats scale logarithmically, not linearly. Someone with 20 strength isn't twice as strong as someone with 10. They are about four times stronger. The adventurer that obtained 50 strength once crushed an enemy by pushing over an inn they were sleeping in. Imagine if most adventurers could do that!"
"I could push over a house? Damn. I love you," My pet said, looking up at me with a silly smile on her face.
Showing mercy on Sherana's confused look, Vixen said, "My strength is 52."
"Oh."
Then Vixen grinned evilly.
"It's my lowest stat."
Sherana shrunk back, then looked back and forth between the two of us. "She calls you her pet, and you act like it. What are you?"
Vixen replied, "I'm a foxkin. I told you how we met. She killed them all, but I was the only one that managed to hurt her, even if it was only a little. It's still hard to believe. I hit her with a ballista bolt enchanted with [Armor Piercing VII], from point blank range. And it BOUNCED off her."
I laughed. "She's my clever little pet. I enjoy toying with her. Her screams of pain. The way she writhes in pleasure. She's mine. So I improved her. As for me… I'll just say my lowest stat is agility and it's 101."
Sherana paled again.
[Content removed per request.]
Spoiler: Spoiler
Short Version: Ciarra and Vixen have sex, and Vixen begins to call her "My Queen." Far more importantly, Ciarra realizes that she has begun to care for her pet. So much so that it scares her.
The full scene is available here: https://storiesonline.net/s/20605:216297/chapter-9-ciarra-the-cold
[Continued scene...]
Apparently, they had finished the first pair of outfits a while ago, but no one had been willing to come close enough to let us know.
Vixen was still dazed, so I used some of scrap cloth to clean her up, then had them dress her, and make any final adjustments that were needed. When they finish, Vixen no longer looked like a child playing dress up in her mother's clothes.
I slid out of my old clothes, and allowed Alysia, smelling of fear and lust, to dress me. She made a few final adjustments.
Pleased with the results, I paid for the dresses and for acting as my living mannequins, then reminded Alysia that I would be back in five days for the rest of the dresses.
Then we left, and Vixen led the way to the next shop.