The greatwyrm lowered itself down onto a platform of rock shaped into the Mansgrave mountain top. Alistair and Ilvara shook in their seats from the less than gentle landing. Their stomachs, only recently settled on the feeling of flight, reeled from vertigo. Dragons weren’t meant to be ridden, at least not by him. From the platform, the beast entered through a cutout in the side of the rocky cliff face. They had arrived at its home away from home.

Through the unnatural cave, hollowed out many decades prior, they squeezed into a larger chamber. It was roughly circular, with enough room for something the size of a dragon to at least lay down and stretch its legs. More eye-catching was the treasure pile, something that even Alistair knew was a staple of dragon folklore. A humble pile of gold, gemstones, and other shiny trinkets lay scattered around the walls and floor. His eyes bounced around the room, not sure what to look at first.

If you would please dismount from my back, I would appreciate it.

Ah, the dragon spoke to them again. It sounded polite in its request. This belied its immense size and strength. If it wanted to it could easily shake them off or twist its neck around to bite them. Instead, the dragon merely turned its neck so that it may look upon them with one of its golden eyes.

Ilvara was the first to acquiesce. First, she had to dislodge Alistair’s arms that had been wrapped around her waist. The embrace had lasted for the duration of the flight. It seemed both of them had forgotten about it. Alistair felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment, but the elf didn’t say a word. She hopped from the dragon’s back and looked more interested in the intricate carvings on the walls than him.

Alistair followed suit, though not as gracefully. He awkwardly climbed down by using the dragon’s thick scales as handholds. If the creature minded, it made no mention of it. When he managed to touch the hard ground below, he felt weakness in his knees. It served to remind him of the battle just outside, and how close he came to dying when his relic mantle’s energy ran out. He needed to rest before he could properly move.

I sense the magic in your body has been drained. It seems you won’t be able to move easily.

The ashen-scaled creature had sharp senses, it seemed. With just a glance it could determine how weak and vulnerable he was, as well as the cause of it. It didn’t say it to mock or belittle him, though. The creature almost sounded concerned for his health. Ilvara perked her head back toward them as if the message had just reached her ears. Then she wandered over to one of the piles and began to search for something.

She returned to Alistair’s side with a vial of some kind. He recognized it as a potion of rejuvenation, but this one was of a higher rarity. Uncommon, and of the ‘potent’ variety. If he remembered right this was meant only for true paladins, those who had sipped from the grail. Lesser humans weren’t meant to drink it.

“He says to drink it,” Ilvara said. She offered it to him.

“The dragon did?”

She nodded. “He told me to fetch something for you from the pile. This looks like something a duine made.”

Alistair took it from her offered hand. He examined it again just to be sure. The color of the concoction was vibrant. There was a certain kind of energy to the contents. Still, he hesitated.

“I was told that only those who have sipped from the grail could drink something this strong,” he said, rolling the vial in his hand.

Only if you ingest the whole vial. Simply drink a quarter or half, and you shall survive.

The dragon responded with some sage advice. It made an odd amount of sense to Alistair. He had to admit that the Sight was never quite specific about the details. Such a loophole could be true. Or would it even really be a loophole? Maybe it was just logically correct, he decided.

He shrugged. “Well, bottoms up.” He popped the cork and swallowed a bit of the foul-tasting liquid. Even fouler than the diluted kind. It made his lips curl and tongue shrivel. “Yuck!”

“Don’t be such a baby,” Ilvara muttered. “You should be thankful to be alive.”

“Yeah?” Alistair replied with a tinge of sarcasm. “How’s about you try some of it? It tastes like the bottom of a hag’s foot!” He offered her the bottle, to which she physically recoiled from the stench.

Children, focus please.

The dragon was laying atop the treasure pile. Safely wrapped within its tail was the dragon egg they had returned. Arms crossed in front of itself like a hound, it watched them bicker. The exotic nature of the creature made it difficult to read. Alistair liked to think that it was somehow amused, with its lips curled the way they were.

I believe I have a debt to repay. To the both of you.

They stood beneath the dragon and heard its words. Each of them had their own unique idea of what they expected, what they wanted. Alistair hadn’t figured out his own yet. He hadn’t even been sure they would make it this far.

You, elf. What is it that you want?

Ilvara knelt in a strange fashion. Both knees on the ground, feet supporting her upper thighs. It must have been meant as some form of respect. He’d never seen her do it before. When she spoke, she did so without her usual wit or coldness.

“Draca mór, I humbly ask that when you return to the northern reaches to please relay the events here to the matriarch of House Kavressi. Any kind words you could offer on my behalf would be deeply appreciated.” She bowed her head low to punctuate her request.

The dragon blinked a few times. It seemed to ruminate on that. Ilvara held her pose, hands resting on the tops of her thighs. Alistair had never seen her so humble, so respectful. This truly mattered to her.

This is something I can do. But I find it an odd request. Is there a hidden meaning?

“My relationship with certain members of the house soured many months ago.” Ilvara swallowed. Her expression was one of pain or discomfort. “I’ve been in exile since. It’s been a very long while since I’ve heard from any of my people. Despite our…misgivings, I would like to be able to return home.”

It nodded as if to agree with her sentiment. Alistair saw Ilvara in somewhat of a new light now. No wonder she was so prickly. She’d been carrying this kind of weight on her shoulders for who knew how long. Ilvara had been desperately searching for a way to get back into her people’s good graces, having to consort with humans just to survive. Even someone as tough as her couldn’t go without the comforts of home forever.

Very well. It is a reasonable thing, to want to go home.

Ilvara seemed relieved by the dragon’s words. She relaxed her shoulders and her breathing became less labored. The dragon turned its reptilian eye to Alistair.

And you, human. What is it that you want?

For a fleeting moment, Alistair was tempted to ask the dragon the same thing. Instead for himself, he would have asked a good word be given to the Lady of the Lake. Wherever she may be. But, he quickly moved on from that. The Lady had been watching him, surely. Even now, she must have known of his success there. He didn’t need the dragon to prove his worth for him.

“Uh, well.” Alistair scratched his chin. “I’m not really sure. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we’d make it this far. Rescuing your egg and finding you, I mean. I didn’t give the reward much thought along the way.”

The dragon’s tail shifted as he spoke of the egg. It tightened its grip ever so slightly, as if to protect the fledgling further. His words were weighed by the dragon as it tasted the air with its tongue. Then it twisted its neck to look to its left, and then after a bit, it shifted to the right side. Its eyes poured over the treasure occupying the room before them.

This hoard is not mine to offer you. Alas, Fraldraedth, the owner of this place, has passed on from this world. One trinket of his for this egg seems fair.

A trinket, he said. Any one thing from this massive spread of loot. Alistair’s eyes swept the room around him. He was already overwhelmed by the choice. Hidden among the gold pieces, of which the majority of the pile consisted, were all kinds of things. There were goblets encrusted with gemstones, scattered pearls that shined as if they were freshly plucked from clams, and jewelry made of crystals that shined with magical light. Further back along the wall there was more. Weapons, shields, and even armor from heroes long since slain. All were trophies of the dragon known as Fraldraedth.

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Alistair started to wander. He felt uncomfortable beneath the dragon’s gaze, afraid that it might rescind its offer if he took too long. Ilvara gave him a look that to him said ‘don’t mess this up!’, something he was afraid he might do. From pile to pile he went, his eyes glossing over priceless things he’d never again get the chance to see or have. To ask him to only take one thing was torture. For someone who grew up poor as dirt, everything looked like a prize.

Around his neck, the relic token shivered. His hand instinctively went to grasp it as he looked around. It wasn’t homing in on the dragon this time. He could tell there was something else here. Something small, yet something familiar. Alistair took a few more steps, then a few more in a slightly different direction. Every time, he waited for another rattle or some sign he was getting close.

Eventually, his magical divining rod led him to the outer edge of the treasure. Along the wall there, hidden somewhere in a relatively sparse part of the gold, was something magical. He could sense just how close he was. Alistair dropped to his knees and began to root through the gold crowns, many of them imprinted with the heads of kings long since passed. His hands sunk beneath the gold till he found the stone below, and he kept reaching and sifting until he latched onto something. Not a coin this time, but a thin chain.

This was what his relic token had led him to. He could feel it.

Like a fisherman grabbing his reeled catch, Alistair lifted his prize to see. An unassuming chain necklace you could find around the neck of just about anybody. Attached to it, however, was a very familiar trinket indeed. A relic token! Not an Aegis like his own, but instead one that appeared to be the image of Wind, like Broderick’s.

Relic Token

Wind Mantle

A piece forged from the body of the Paragon of Wind. An exemplar of the virtue ‘Liberality’, followers of this paragon show no prejudice in their dealings. They treat everyone equally, just the same as a gust of wind in nature might.

Of the paladin it once belonged to, there was no sign. For this valuable relic to remain lost here would be a shame. Somewhere inside it remained the power for someone to transform into a wind mantle. Maybe Broderick would know more.

He felt the entire chamber rumble. Alistair nearly fell to the ground, his legs still weak from earlier. Somewhere behind him, the dragon made a terrible sound like something between a screech and a roar. He thought for a moment he heard Ilvara shout something, but her voice was drowned out by the deafening noise.

Alistair turned and ran back to find out what had happened. The dragon was on its feet again. Like before in the town, it had taken a low posture to defend itself. Of the elf, he couldn’t see her. Had someone managed to find them?

He soon received his answer. At the mouth of the cave stood two men, both warriors of the Lady. Kevin and Broderick, he knew right away. Somehow, Kevin still had the energy to maintain his suit of flame. Alistair could tell he was hurting from the way he hunched his back and relied on his sword’s support to stand. He must have been barely clinging on.

Next to him, Broderick remained in the water mantle form from before. He must have finished off the fires below and collected Kevin. Alistair should have known they’d eventually find their way up. To his credit, the paladin hadn’t attacked right away. Broderick remained a safe distance away, sword in hand but not raised to fight.

“Broderick!” Alistair called out. The paladin looked at him and his shoulders seemed to sag in relief.

“Good to see you alive, Alistair,” Broderick said. He didn’t turn his body away from the dragon, wary of it. “We weren’t sure you made it after the fire swept through the woodland. Was it the dragon’s doing?”

“Mine and the dragon’s, thank you,” Ilvara said, answering him. She stood off to the side, out of the dragon’s path should it want to attack. Her eyes remained focused on Kevin, the wild card. “It wouldn’t have been necessary if it wasn’t for that duine there.” She pointed at the supplicant of flame.

Broderick glanced at Kevin next to him. Any sort of emotion or thought of his was indiscernible while in the armored form. Kevin’s silence said everything for him.

“In Bredon, I had the Etressi use his rangefinding device to keep an eye on the horizon. He warned me of the fire and so I came right away. When I found Kevin, he claimed that Alistair had fought with him against the dragon.” Broderick shifted his stance so that he fully faced Kevin now. His voice had a dangerous edge. “Was this a lie you concocted?”

“Of course not,” Kevin said. He certainly didn’t sound as confident as he did before. “I thought Alistair dead after the fire came down around us.”

“Why do you lie to him, Kevin?!” Alistair said, breaking his silence. The fiery body glanced toward him. “The dragon didn’t start the fire; you did when you attacked me. I told you we had found a peaceful solution, and yet you still came at me with your sword!”

“He’s just confused,” Kevin said to Broderick. “The smoke must have gotten to him.”

“You conniving little nathair,” Ilvara muttered.

“I gave you the benefit of doubt because of your wounds.” Broderick stepped in front of Kevin now, his back to the others. Any niceties his voice once had were gone. “But this is too much. Return to your human form and then make your way back down the mountain. Go to Bredon, take your steed, and leave. Pray the Lady forgives you, for I certainly won’t.”

Kevin shook his head. “We can finish this, right now! The beast is right there. We can kill it, you and me. Forget the others. The renown and the reward of the quest will be all ours!”

His pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Broderick raised his sword, the blade sheathed in a viscous coat of water, as if to point toward the mouth of the cave, past where Kevin was. The message was clear: go now, before he changed his mind.

Kevin gripped Deadsbane with both hands. Alistair couldn’t believe it but it looked like the scorned noble was going to defy the paladin. He was considering it, at least. Still, the youth hesitated to raise his sword wreathed in flame. Even through his rage, he had to recognize how silly it would be to try something.

They watched as Kevin’s body shook with fury. He wasn’t used to things not going his way. But, he did take a step back, and then another. A moment later, he turned on his heel to leave. It was perhaps the wisest decision Alistair had ever seen him make. Kevin refused to return to his human form, perhaps to hide his shame. He’d leave the dragon’s den with his head held high, if only for his own sake.

Broderick watched him leave. With his armor on it was impossible to say for sure what expression he wore, or how he felt. From what little time Alistair had spent with him, he figured the man was feeling some kind of disappointment. He’d been elated to find more of the Lady’s chosen to work with in this backwater place, and yet he ended up with an arrogant noble and an inexperienced peasant who barely knew what they were doing. What a mess this whole venture had turned out to be.

The dragon seemed to relax a bit with Kevin gone. It turned its head in silent interest as Broderick was enveloped in a blinding light. Before the dragon stood just a man now, his magical form stowed away. Whereas Kevin wanted to battle and earn glory, Broderick would be satisfied with peace. Killing the dragon might have been possible for someone of his level, but it would be difficult. Already famous, what more could he earn from slaying the creature that just wanted to go home?

“I suppose your business is done then?” Broderick asked the group. His face was stony and his voice only a tinge softer now. “I didn’t mean to interrupt so suddenly, but my concern for my fellow there,” he said, pointing to Alistair. “Brought me to your door.” He offered a curt bow to the dragon.

Alistair, have you decided on your trinket?

The dragon looked to him again, ignoring Broderick for the moment. It watched as he held up the relic token he’d found and nodded.

“I think this will do,” Alistair replied.

Very well, then our dealings are complete.

Broderick stepped to the side as the greatwyrm made to leave the chamber. The three of them watched the creature as it shuffled out, the egg still wrapped within its tail. They followed in the creature’s wake, out onto the platform of stone. When their little group had gotten out of the tunnel, the dragon opened its mouth and said something. Such sounds would be impossible to replicate with a human jaw, like a mixture of a serpent’s hiss and a drake’s howl.

These words it spoke had an effect on the cave. The rock around them shuddered. Loose bits of rock all along the cliff face fell tumbling down the side. For a moment he thought the dragon had summoned a rock slide or avalanche. Instead, the mouth of the cave was soon covered and shaped over with stone, made malleable like clay. A magic spell to cover one’s home.

Ilvara’s ear twitched and she looked up at the dragon. It looked as if the creature had spoken into her mind again, and only hers.

“It’s kind of you to offer,” she said. “But there are a few things I need to finish here before I return. All I ask is that you uphold your end of our deal.”

The dragon nodded in return. It looked to Alistair again. He got the sense that this was their goodbye.

Until we meet again, Alistair. If you ever make it to the far reaches, remember my name. It is Kazumth. I would offer to host you once more for your deed.

Alistair held the token tightly. He grinned and bowed his head to the dragon. For now, he was happy to be alive.

Broderick’s expression shifted as the dragon and he shared a moment. His face softened a tad. Alistair knew not what was exchanged between them, but by the end of it, the paladin offered the magical creature a simple, solemn nod.

Kazumth lifted its heavy body with a buffet from its wings. They struggled to stand beneath the powerful gale. Alistair shielded his eyes. At first, the ashen dragon hovered an inch from the ground, and before they knew it, Kazumth was sailing in the air. Off it went across the mountains, presumably back to his home up north.

As if to punctuate his leave, the Sight wrote to Alistair again.

Quest of Retrieval

Find the Lost Dragon Egg

Complete!

Rewards

Large Ashen Greatwyrm Reputation Gain

Moderate Universal Renown Gain ->

Universal Renown improved to ‘Recognized’

Small Duchy of Isen Renown Gain

Small Winter Elf Renown Gain

Milestone Progress

The Lady must have been watching. Was she satisfied, he wondered? He could only pray that he could continue this success. To prove his worth. He didn’t want to lose this feeling of pride.

Self-worth was a precious commodity among peasants.