They had gathered up everythig that they were going to bring back to the city. All the ingreadents that they had found, all of the gold that they could get away without it being stolen in the night. They had loaded it all up on the wagon and had headed out at first light.
They were each dreading what would happen when they got back to the city. You did not just pull off a request from a Dragon and not get noticed for it. At least they could hope that the churches had not found out about the Fortress Grudge yet thought that would not last long.
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"How did this get so out of hand?" Drassisa asked her friends.
"Don't ask hard questions?" Smithy tried to add before giving up and just laughing.
"I do not know how it happened but I think that Fate is having a grand ol' time on this one." He added.
"I blame miss messes with Fate, Destiny, and Chance over there, she is the only one that could make this get so out of had so fast." Embrda said throwing his friend under the wagon so to speak.
"Well it is what it is so we just need to deal with it going forwards, and try to skirt the edges of the catastrophe that is coming our way." Tess said after a moments thought.
"Just so we are clear we are going to have to deal with the Dragon and his favor, the Dungeon we made for the hellhound, whatever oddness was up with those bandits, and the fallout from all those gods blessing our little fight back there." Teamasa said making sure that everyone was on the same page.
"I am more worried about the fact that the church is definitely going to find out what I have done now. Even with the blessings of the god of broken chains this is going to turn into a real shit show." Sasha declared.
'I just hope that they don't start a holy war over this.' She said to herself.
"Talking to yourself again." Tea helpfully pointed out that her friend was slipping into a old habit once more. She did this from time to time and would just go dead to the entire world.
"I agree that this is only going to get worse. We are going to have every fanatic on the continent either trying to kill us for tainting their god or worshiping us like gods all the same. Lets just try and keep as low a profile as we can and get everything set up so that we can run around without anyone knowing it is us again." Drassisa added with a scowl on her face. She did not want to deal with all the repercussions that were going to come from this shit storm.
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After discussing more and more on just how screwed they were on keeping a low profile they came to the conclusion that they really did not know what all was going to happen and wouldn't until more of it unfolded for them to see. Until that happened any plans that they made to avoid it was just as likely to cause fish to rain from the sky as actually work like they intended. They would have no choice but to weather it out until that time came around.
To many things were happening at once to be a mear concidence so they would have to go with it for a little while longer, at least until they had the full picture and could then act. Which of course would not matter if their interview with the Dragonlord fell through and they were incererated. Then they were dead just the same.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
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When they returned to the city the first thing they did was go to the guild hall and get everything sorted out a head of time. This was to both get paid for the work done and to have a place to store the loot they had come across. The guild made them swear on truth spells that they did infact fight all that they claimed. Afterwards they sent a messenger to the city center to wake the Dragon and alert him that they were coming to give the report that he wanted.
It was never a good idea to show up at a Dragons hord unannounced and startle the old Dragon. Of course it had never been said that it was even possible and no one had ever claimed to have done so but that could also just mean that anyone who did so was now dead. And really know, with odds that bad who in their right mind would play at that game with the stakes so high.
It was also just rude to do so and again, you did not want to be rude to a Dragon now did you?
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The six adventures were lined up at the building having been hit with magic to ensure that no one was attempting to kill the old Dragon. Not that any such atempt had ever succeded but rather that no one wanted to clean up the mess it would make if it happened once more.
Walking into the Dragons keep was never a dull experience as the entire place was a feat of magic and art. So spelled were the stones that not a single speck of dust could be found anywhere on them. So grand was the pile of gold that it could topple the econmy of any nation in the entire world if loosed to do its worst on them.
"There you are here at last and on your own feet no less. When I heard of the request that you had taken I thought you a lost cause." A voice of might said with a voice that shook the entire world. That shook time itself.
"We chose wisely to ensure that we could return alive. Only fools and hereos charge in with no plan in mind and neither of them tend to live very long lives." Sasha said in response.
"Brave one are you? Most can not even stand to be in the presense of my voice if I do not restrain it to mear whispers." The old one said.
"I heal constantly so any damage to my ears is repaired in just a few minutes of time." She said by way of a reply.
All she heard after that was a mountain of fire laughing and it sounded like an inforno trying to break free apon the world at large. It was at that very moment she realized what this meeting truly was.
A clash of will. A test of strength. An old fools curosity. A Dragons whim!
"Let me look at you all and take your measure, I need to see what this generation is worth. Hopefuly it is more then the last, lazy retches the lot of them. Selling out their own childrens futures and then complaining when they have no choices to work with. Pathetic!"
"What is this, show me the book that you found. I need to see it now!" The Dragon said with a note of worry in his voice.
"It is here, we hope you can make out what is says because we couldn't." Tea proclaimed while giving him the book that was taken off of the bandit captin in the old mine.
"I shall do what I can, in the meantime I shall grant you an old tavern in the city to do with as you please along with that mine shaft that has been tapped out." The Dragon said declaring what the boon he was giving them was.
"It means a lot to us." They responded before leaving not wanting to make him mad by staying longer then was necessary by any stretch of the word.
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Having gotten premission from the Dragonlord to do as they pleased it was time to get to work on building their power base here in the city. They had the building and lots of gold in reserve along with what they made today. It was enought to start getting things ready and starting off before anyone was wise to the plans that they had come up with.