Dragons have many inherited memories. The idea of inherited memory is such an alien concept to us, especially those of us that take months or years to reach maturation and require a maternal or paternal guide.

From a purely biological and organic point of view, it would seem impossible and crude. Mana once again rearing its ugly head and being responsible for something that is not purely ‘natural’. Inherited memory of language, abilities, fears, dreams, flight, magic? Of course, this is all very necessary from a pure point of view. Why? Because dragons are solitary creatures.

They do not rear their young. They meet up very infrequently at areas outside of individual territories. The clutch of eggs left to the wild, the newly born young to the stomachs of any predator that may be near. A predator that is very often the siblings in the clutch. Dragons do not trust each other, and perhaps this too is an inherited memory.

I have a theory that the solitary nature of dragons is built into their inherited sensibilities and is as natural to them as congregating in groups for safety is for most other species. For though one dragon on a mountain may result in fewer game animals and fish and be problematic for the species that cultivate the land and tend the herd creatures; two is a calamity. Simply put, I believe dragons are solitary creatures because they are a catastrophe to the environment. An environment that would very soon pit the creatures against each other in competition for space and food even if the dragons were amenable to working together; which, as we can see, they are not.

Excerpt from “The Danger of Draconology - Shattering Romanticism” by Archivist Sikes

↢↦

Sikes led Ruth down the tunnels, and Ruth marveled in turn at how uneventful the trip was transpiring. With little more than a word or two confirming that he had gotten the provisions, Sikes had quietly started down the path in front of him with Rush napping on his head.

The immortal and deadly text illuminating their path in front was quite helpful in finding secure footing. Now and again, the side of a trail would veer off into the darkness. A look over the side into these gaping chasms revealed that the drop would most certainly be unpleasantly long and assuredly fatal.

“Can you see in the dark?” Ruth asked, willing to break the silence and put up with the awful draconic pronunciation of his guide and, apparently, vassal. Sikes was unexpectedly polite toward him, even deferential. That was nothing to the care he showed Rush. Sometimes the orange-eyed archivist would stop and ask the small creature if it needed anything. Eventually he stopped because Rush had actually told him to shut up so he could sleep in peace.

“No Ruth.”

Ruth was about to ask why anyone would live below the surface of the world if they couldn’t see in the dark. He swallowed the question when he remembered all the dangers that lurked on the surface. Muddling about in the dark and braving the dangers of falls into the darkness did seem preferable to the dangers of the surface where the things there would run you down and eat you.

Fortunately, he didn’t ask the question. It turned out that seeing in the dark wasn’t as big a deal as he thought it was down here. The reason being? The deeper they went the less trouble Ruth had seeing.

Spiraling deeper and deeper into the tunnels a strange sort of blue bioluminescent algae or moss of some type began to appear. Larger and more dense pockets of the stuff began to quickly overtake the bare stone and dirt walkways and paths that had been the norm.

Looking back, Ruth saw that his feet were leaving prints in the stuff. He lifted up one of his boots and peered down at it, less than surprised when he found the bottom of his soles covered with the blue stuff. Ruth now had glow in the dark footwear. He stomped up and down a few times experimentally, fascinated by the way everything was lighting up and glowing.

He leaned down and put his fingers in it, raking them across the stuff for a moment.

“That’s not poisonous, by the by,” Sikes had stopped when he realized that Ruth wasn’t following him anymore. His voice was amused.

“Oh? That’s good.” Ruth shrugged. Poisonous. It wasn’t like he was going to eat it. He supposed Sikes was just being a good vassal. “I wasn’t going to eat it or anything.”

“There are plenty of poisons that don’t require eating.”

Ruth felt a chill running from the tip of his tail and traveling up his spine. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I don’t doubt that most of them wouldn’t work on yer worship,” Sikes admitted gruffly, the faintest bit of sarcasm coloring his voice.

Ruth missed it entirely. He nodded thoughtfully. Dragons were amazing but...

“That’s true.” Ruth wiped his hands on his clothing and didn’t mind the blue streak that appeared on his chest. It was better to be safe anyway. Ruth had plenty of things going for him but being a dragon was no longer one.

Moments later the blue disappeared from the chest area as the scales on his ‘shirt’ rippled dramatically. Ruth and Sikes both froze until the movement ceased. Ruth only slightly relaxed whereas Sikes seemed to be standing further away now.

“Ah. It eats moss now. That’s great...” Ruth looked down at his boots and realized that the soles were once again not glowing. He took a few steps and looked back, realizing he was leaving bare patches of stone where he was walking. His clothing was now actively eating the moss under his feet.

Ruth resisted the urge to scream. He only managed not to because he didn’t want to look foolish in front of Sikes.

Sikes, for his part, was staring at him with his mouth open. “Ah, that’s… uhh… really terrifying. That ate the Raccoon?”

“Chomp chomp.” Ruth said quietly.

“Maybe yer worship should consider taking it off? Unless you can’t?” Sikes tilted his head quizzically. The expression on his face expressing the opinion that there was no way in any of the seven hells he would wear something that casually ate things.

“Nonsense, there is nothing dangerous about this,” Ruth lied. “Let’s go!”

“Right.” Sikes hastened his steps. It was strange because every time Ruth tried to close the distance between them, the stocky Durvgar quickened his pace even more. When Ruth slowed down Sikes slowed down.

Ruth finally gave up and allowed the slightly larger distance between them.

Vassal. Where?

A sleepy voice sounded out in both their heads.

“We are hours away milord,” Sikes reported dutifully.

Continue.

Rush was asleep again in seconds.

↢↦

“Are there many dangers down here?”

Sikes sighed and took a moment to piece out what Ruth was saying. It took all of his considerable will not to tell the Tiefling to shut the hell up. Did he think it was easy listening to his broken pronunciation and finding his way? There was a reason the journey was only several hours and not days and was an undiscovered route.

Despite the lighting of the Bluegrass there were hundreds of passages and forks that led to different places.

“Fewer near the surface. Past Under Arch there are the dryder, of course, but they mostly keep to themselves and hunt the Hoods. Dryder are arachnid hybrids that use simple tools and live in the deeps.”

“Hoods?”

“They are like little living sacks with teeth. They hang from the ceiling and drop down on unwary prey from above.”

Ruth found the idea of things with teeth hanging out above them disturbing. He began making ‘casual’ glances upward as they walked along.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Without turning around to look, Sikes continued, “of course your lordship would know they prefer the darkness so we’re safe anywhere the Bluegrass grows.”

“Naturally,” Ruth was quietly grateful that his new minion seemed to think he was knowledgeable about a great many things. It saved Ruth from having to admit he had no idea what any of those things were.

Why the hell would a dragon care about things that it could easily eat? Dragons didn’t know the abilities of food animals. It was food or it was not food. Dragons did not wait for things to try and hurt them back.

Naturally, Sikes knew that Ruth didn’t know jack or squat. It was getting easier to flatter the Tiefling though. Once he was back in Under Arch he’d cut the not-dragon loose.

“What else?”

“There are sulfur vents. Fissures in the floor or wall that generate spontaneous bursts of heat and deadly toxic gas. Again, the Bluegrass means safety. As long as there is Bluegrass you can rest assured that there is no fissure or sulfur vent nearby.”

“Bluegrass seems like it is quite useful.” Ruth admitted after a moment. “Explain Bluegrass.”

The immortal and deadly text turned toward him, and to his amazement, obliged.

> Bluegrass is a bioluminescent algae that is comprised of an overabundance of tiny glowing plants. It is a cousin to a marine algae. Suspicion: Bluegrass is a mutated strain of algae that has adapted to the moisture of the tunnels and was originally from a deeper part of the subterranean layer where oceanic water accrues. The blue-green glow is produced because of the disturbance in air particles from passing creatures as a danger response.

“You are answering me now?”

> Lord Rush has requested that I answer your questions so that you may become a better vassal.

“Lord Rush… requested… it…” Ruth’s shoulders began shaking in laughter and he covered his face with a hand. “Why… why him?!”

> Lord Rush will save us.

“Save us from what?”

> No.

“NO!” Ruth mocked it.

Sikes had stopped in his tracks and was now staring backward with a blank expression on his face. A box with writing had appeared out of thin air and was giving a perfect explanation for Bluegrass. It had appeared from nothing.

“W-what is that?”

Ruth looked surprised. “You can see the immortal and deadly text?”

“The immortal and deadly text?” Sikes sputtered.

> Sikes is listed as an approved vassal of Lord Rush and has also been granted limited access.

“Granted limited access to what?”

> No.

Ruth began to laugh. He was almost willing to forgive the immortal and deadly text when it refused to answer Sikes question after blatantly saying it would answer his questions.

↢↦

The immortal and deadly text was, Sikes decided -- something that Ruth did not deserve. With the knowledge that he could interact with the box their journey had slowed down considerably. Despite Ruth mentioned several times that they should be moving faster, Sikes couldn’t help it.

The fucking box knew everything. Coaxing it to tell him, however, was proving to be a challenge.

“How do the Hood reproduce?”

> No.

“Why no? Why damn ye?”

> No.

“Okay, fine. I’ll let you have that one,” Sikes said finally. An idea was beginning to form in his head though. If he was brave enough to use Lord Rush, maybe he could convince this thing to give him more answers. “What if I wanted to be a better vassal to Lord Rush? How might I become better able to serve him?”

> Many.

“Many what? Ways?”

> Yes.

“Okay, name one.”

> Awaken your soul space. Form soul shape. Prepare for the coming conflict.

“What coming conflict?” Sikes was momentarily elated with the information. If the box, no, the immortal and deadly text -- he corrected himself -- said that he could awaken his soul space and soul shape, who was he to argue with it before it told him how? The thought of being embroiled into something the immortal and deadly text thought to be a conflict was giving him a slight pause. In the end, the greed was winning out.

> No.

“How do I awaken my soul space then?”

The immortal and deadly text went blank at this, simply continuing to follow along. Sikes tilted his head, once again ignoring Ruth who was behind him clearing his throat and trying to get his attention.

“Hello?”

No response from the immortal and deadly text. Finally, a delayed message came into being. The box shone brighter and brighter as the text began to undulate. It turned a deep red. Sikes came to a dead halt feeling a terrible pressure start to spread out.

Ruth was watching the box carefully now, taking one step, and then two steps away from Sikes. “You have angered it,” the Tiefling said thoughtfully. "How did you do that?"

> I am Tamara. Do you want power? Do you want to awaken? Do you want to ask MY favor? Then it is simple. Give me what I want and I will bestow upon you a favor.

There was something terrible about the light that was infecting the hallway. Space was starting to distort and the light of the Bluegrass was starting to dip into violet hues.

“What… what do you want?”

> I want you to teach Ruth to see through deception. I want you to show Rush how large the universe is. I want you to tie your continued survival to their survival -- for ten years.

Sikes closed his eyes and felt gloom descend on him. He had been thinking for a while now that as soon as they got to Under Arch Ruth and Rush would probably get killed there. They were too trusting, too stupid, and generally speaking not cunning enough to make it. It was true that they were probably more powerful than many in Under Arch, but they were too inexperienced. Ruth would easily be poisoned to death or killed in his sleep. Rush would disappear without a soul space to inhabit.

Quietly he asked, “can’t I just kill someone for you instead?”

The light from the screen started to heat his skin. It felt like it would only be moments before the heat was so great that he would burst into flames.

“Okay,” Sikes said dejectedly.

The light became kinder and the unbearable heat vanished.

> When you reach Under Arch I will fulfill my side of the bargain.

The immortal and deadly text dimmed and returned to normal.

Sikes was looking at Ruth now in a way that was obviously making the Tiefling uncomfortable. Eventually, he turned around and started walking down the tunnel. “Come, boy, and we’ll face our first challenge together.”

“What’s that?”

Ruth hadn’t seen the words the immortal and deadly text had transmitted. If he had, maybe he would have been more cautious. Considering how gloomy Sikes looked, he just assumed that the deadly and immortal text had jerked him around.

“The front gate guard at Under Arch,” Sikes said gruffly.

“What’s challenging about that?”

“He has a sword and will turn it on us when we get there rather than let us pass,” Sikes said patiently. "Maybe he will take his bow and shoot us before we get close."

“Why would he do that?” Ruth tilted his head, puzzled. There was a note of caution in his voice though. He knew the power of the bow.

“Because I left Under Arch with his sister.”

“So?”

“I’m returning without her.”

“Why are you only mentioning this now?” Ruth said after some thought.

“Because, originally, I was going to tell him you killed her.”

“Oh.” Ruth nodded. “I see.”

Sikes turned slightly, an eyebrow lifting inquisitively. “Are you angry, boy?”

“Why?” Ruth tilted his head in confusion.

“...dragons…”

“It’s good that you told me, Sikes.” Ruth finally said, realizing that his companion still seemed upset. The Durvgar probably needed to be comforted. “Otherwise, when you got me into that fight, I would have killed you first.”

“Bully for me.”

↢↦

Under Arch didn’t seem all that impressive to Ruth when they were finally in sight of what Sikes referred to as the ‘entryway’. The tunnel narrowed until it was to the point where Ruth felt like he could stretch his arms out to either side and hit the wall. A simple structure carved from some sort of rock barred the way. It was a simple stone wall with an opening barely big enough for a person to squeeze through.

“This is the east-east entry,” Sikes said gruffly.

“Under Arch is small,” Ruth said after some thought. The Bluegrass was growing even more densely here. Sikes had mentioned that they cultivated it, particularly near the city.

“That’s just the wall, boy,’ Sikes muttered. “On the other side of the wall, a giant cavernous space awaits. Buildings as far as the eye can see. Denizens beyond counting. If you travel far enough to the north you will come across an even larger lake and a long bridge leading up to a large castle. The retainers of Wilkeena reside there. Then you will be more impressed than you are now staring at a door.”

Ruth was starting to get annoyed at being referred to as ‘boy’. It sounded a lot like when Lord Rush called him dumb dumb.

“So I can just kill this guy?” Ruth asked.

“It would be better to kill him immediately,” Sikes eyed him with an intense orange gaze. “Can you?”

“How would I know?” Ruth was baffled. He’d only been a Tiefling for less than a week. “Is it bigger than a shed?”

“No,” Sikes said after a moment. It had taken him a second to puzzle out what the hell Ruth was talking about in draconic.

“It’ll be fine then? Let’s try to talk first.” Ruth suggested.

“Sure,” Sikes was amused now. “Why don’t you try that? It’ll be a good lesson. Just the same, I’m gonna get my knife out.”

Ruth paused since this was news to him. “We have knives?”

“I have a knife,” Sikes corrected him. “Don’t you have magic? Well, let me see it, boy.”

Immortal and Deadly Text Status

Planar Tiefling: Ruth (Level 11) (Young Adult/Lord Rush) (Lightning Specialized)

2 of 5 spell slots

Mana: 20/20

★Lightning Ward: 25%

★Lightning Chain: 25%