First came the meeting with house Caesar. Lord Caesarion surprised me by attending himself. When we arranged the meeting his house was supposed to send a lower member. I even expected Livia, but they may think she is too close to me.
The meeting itself had not gone as I hoped. The pressure on Lord Caesarion was rising. The human faction in the east was weakened and couldn’t help him, his elven allies had let him down after they failed to kidnap me and a small army of demi-humans is marching on Alexandria. A fleet from the sea-folk his headed towards the city as well.
The city itself supported for the most part house Ptolemy and house Bilibin. Only the guards and government district were in Caesarion’s hands. His power was waning with every hour and his fate has been written.
Our alliances with house Ptolemy and house Bilibin had been dissolved. We did not get an explanation why that happened. I suspect influence from other eastern factions. Possibly trying to stop foreign powers from gaining influence. I wouldn’t stop trying to acquire some though. I just had to change my approach a bit.
"Lord Caesarion, I think you are missing a point here. This is not an alliance with two equal partners. I will help your house to survive this crisis and you will give me access to your networks in Aegyptus", I said calmly and observed how the former governor searched for a better way out. There was of course none. I was his last viable option.
"Lord Lucius, by all means, I think a deeper connection between our houses would benefit you as well", he tried again, but I had grown deaf to his pleas after the first hour.
"You don't understand your position right now. House Caesar will lose the governorship for Alexandria and Aegyptus. There won't be any protection left for you when the new governor is sworn in", I reminded him.
"We will take back what is rightfully ours! Graecia will help us in retaking the positions!", he shouted but calmed down after seeing my neutral expression.
"They won't. The war cost them too much and your situation is pretty helpless. Also, don't forget you betrayed my house and Niloticus", I said and he gulped audibly at the reminder.
"I assure you we had nothing to do with the attack on your grace", he flattered.
"And I assure you without accepting my offer the wrath of the other two houses will be the least of your worries", I finally threaten the oblivious man. He needed to understand the situation.
"Please there must be something you are interested in. I can't stand not being at the top", he admitted.
I stared at the man in disbelieve. This meeting was going nowhere. Perhaps the next lord of his house would be a more reliable partner.
"It seems coming to an understanding is not possible", I started.
"No no we can reach one", he interjected.
"I will await your answer to my proposal, but never forget your time is running out", I nodded lightly in his direction and left the building, the town hall of Alexandria. Deep in the government district.
The plan and offer we had designed over the last days might fail because of the stubbornness of one man. Maybe he will accept when he sees no other way. We would have gotten access to his information network in the province as well as a few estates and materials and personal from him.
His house would need to step down as the leading house for the humans in Aegyptus. He would need to serve and work for house Vespasianus. The void created by house Caesar's decline would be filled by me and the people serving under us.
In return, we would protect his house and the other assets they still hold. Our revenge for his involvement in the attack on my person was also to be forgotten and settled with a small sum of ducats. The deal was a good outcome for both of us. His house survives in the second row of politics and I gain more influence.
I could use that influence in the coming negotiations with the other two houses. Right now I am not more than a rich foreign noble for them.
"Any success?", Alaric asked and walked beside me.
"He seems hesitant, but with time they should accept. I am sure the head of their house would change if he disregards our offer. The rest of his family is not willing to follow him on this path", I speculated. Livia had told me a bit about the recent turmoil in their house. She withheld details, but I couldn’t fault her for that. I was probably more an enemy for her house than an ally right now.
"We will see, but you are right. I can't imagine anybody making a better offer to them. Not in this short time frame", he agreed.
We spoke a bit about the other two meetings during the way back. The next two would be a bit more important. This time we would be the party with less power, negotiating for a deal. I hope the profit they can make will outweigh the fact that I am a royal outsider.
I need their cooperation and I was willing to spend a lot of ducats to achieve it.
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"It is my pleasure to meet the heir of Neapoli. Your actions have created quite the chaos in Alexandria and allowed us to secure a position. For that, I am grateful to you. Even if you didn't plan anything", Elddis said. She was in her human form and smiled at me. I returned a false one as well.
"It is my honour to meet the first lady of house Bilibin", I countered, bowing low.
"I suspect you had more in mind than just the exchange of pleasantries", she guessed rightly and fixed me with her gaze. I suppressed the feelings surfacing under her stare.
"I had planned to make a rather sizeable investment in the province and Alexandria would be the perfect place for it. Cooperation in that matter will benefit both of us", I explained.
"Would it now? And what do I get for helping an outsider to establish himself?", she asked.
"A partnership for the good of both sides. I can help you to get contacts and access to the cities of Neapoli. In return, you can support us in investing the money and getting contacts here in Aegyptus", I suggested and her eyes told me she was interested in such an offer.
"It does sound lucrative for both of us. Did you ever think about deepening the relationship with my house? We could stand up against house Ptolemy if we work together", she suggested. I managed to stop myself from forming any expressions on my face. The last thing I wanted was to be involved too much in local politics.
"I will have to respectfully decline the offer. We have no interest to take part in the political struggles of Aegyptus. We just want us and our partners to prosper", I said carefully. She seemed disappointed, but not angry because of my answer.
"It is a shame, but alas I can't force anybody to their luck. We would have made a great team. I accept", she said. “I will send a servant of mine to work out the details.”
"It is a deal then", we shook hands and I left the building at the next opportunity. An alliance was declined, but a business partner was founded and for now, that is all I wanted to have. Power plays will have to wait for later.
Alaric again soon joins me after I exited the mansion.
"A full success", I informed him.
"That was to be expected. Their house should have the most interest in having another player on the field. House Ptolemy is in the dominant position right now", he added helpfully.
"Yes, nothing is stopping our plans for investments and revenue except the answer from Pyrrhus. To convince him would solidify our success", I added as well and Alaric nodded affirmatively.
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"Lucius Vespasianus. It is nice to see you in person. I hope you survived the attempt on your person without injuries?", Pyrrhus greets me and asked a question he knew the answer for. I played along.
"Future governor of Aegyptus, Pyrrhus Ptolemy. It is an honour to meet you. And yes all involved parties survived the ordeal without serious injuries", I said and the minotaur's head tilted to one side.
"That brings us to the reason for this meeting. You were … How do I say this? Vague in your goal for this", Pyrrhus said.
"Some details were still not sorted out when we asked for a chance to meet with you. Now they are", I inform him and his look of impatience told me I should get to my point.
"We are planning to invest a rather sizeable amount of funds into the province and some smaller sums in other regions as well", I explained.
"That is no problem. In fact, it doesn't even require my consent. So why am I here", he asked.
"First the investment is bigger than you think. I could very well land under the top 10 people with the most assets in Aegyptus. So your allowance for my operation would be appreciated. A good word from you to other governors would also help us in expanding there", I said and he seemed to weigh his options.
"Your investment is still no problem then, but what do I get for helping you with the other regions?", he asked intrigued.
"I could let you and the respective governors have a share of my profit. You would gain from my success. Also, your own merchants would have easier access to Neapoli", I offered and the last part picked his interest.
"Easier access to the markets of Neapoli would help the province a lot. On the other hand, I heard you met with house Caesar. You have more interest in Aegyptus than just creating revenue don't you?", he said. The effort to keep the first meeting secret for a while had failed.
"I can get rid of house Caesar as a competitor for positions in Aegyptus. Let me fill their place and then you don't have to concern yourself with the human faction. As an outsider I can't hold any eastern titles", I offered him our best bet at reaching an agreement while still getting a bit of political influence.
"And who guarantees that you won't put a puppet on the seat of Aegyptus?", he asked sternly.
"The house will denounce all claims to those positions and I would be willing to sign an agreement for this problem", I said and again Pyrrhus considered the situation silently for a while.
"We will get 30 percent off all profits. The agreement will be signed in presence of foreign diplomats and other governors", he said.
"15 percent. The other conditions are fine with me", I countered.
"25", he said
"20 percent", I said.
"Deal. I will watch your growth with interest young prince. The details of our agreement will be worked out by one of my subordinates, but I think our partnership will be a profitable one", Pyrrhus said and offered me a hand. I took it with a smile.
"Can't add anything to that. It was a pleasure meeting you", I said.
I left the rented mansion and was again joined by Alaric. This conservation ran more like the plan we had made.
"It seems you were more successful this time?", Alaric inquired. I turned my smiling face to him.
"Yes, we have two of the three on our side and this was the most important one from all of them", I answered.
Details are exchanged as we head back and prepare to work out the final form of the agreements with the houses.
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"Quintus you can do it. You did it before!", I encouraged the wyvern to take the last step.
We were sitting with three persons, Alaric, Niloticus and myself, on the top of a small hill. Quintus warily glanced downwards and didn't try to replicate the time he flew. He answered every cheer from us with a deep growl and hiss while his stinger moved behind him. Quintus didn't like the idea of taking flight.
I could feel his nervousness and the pressure in him. I did my best to alleviate his feelings and concerns, but my familiar decided to not take another try. The crash landing from yesterday was still engraved in his mind. Or so I guessed.
"Come on just fly you scaled chicken", Niloticus said and smiled. A short chant accompanied by a hand gesture followed.
Quintus and I watched in alarm as a solid big root elevated the wyvern to the height of thirty meters. I could feel Quintus panic.
"Teacher please let him down. He just needs a bit of time", I defended him and tried to get teacher to let him down again.
"Nonsense. He will learn like you. Repeating the task he failed until he doesn't any more", Niloticus remarked and clapped his hand. I watched in horror as the roots turned to mist and Quintus fell down like a rock in water.
20 meters, he had just finished an entire rotation in mid-air. 15 metres, he spread his wings. 10 metres, he stopped falling down and glided the rest of the way down. Quintus roared triumphantly when he landed but glared in the direction of a sunbathing crocodile.
The wyverns' thoughts about revenge died down when another massive root slowly started to appear beneath him. He changed his position and settled down next to me. Though not before making sure that there wasn't another root about to appear and throw him into the air.
The rest of the day was spent on estimating and testing Quintus abilities and limits. He learned to glide from the high ground but still failed to take to the air by himself. More because of pure stubbornness than the lack of skill. He could fly, I had seen him do it, but he didn't want to do it again for some reason. He was more cooperative with other tests.
Quintus was nearing three metres in height and advanced steadily to the length of 8 metres. He was starting to grow more slowly. Teacher said that the lack of darkness mana was responsible for his slowed growth. It wouldn't affect Quintus in any other way though.
My familiar tested his claws against different kind of armours and it seemed anything out of metal or stone was too tough for him to break. He did however manage to create big dents in the armour. If there were a person under those, their heads would be deformed horribly.
The stinger managed to penetrate most of the armours without problems. To be precise the tip managed to do it. His poison sizzled from inside the armour. It was slowly corroding, but not fast enough to create a hole in the armour. The person within would die quickly without addressing the poison.
"I am sorry for the poor people who have been stung by a wyvern inside their suit of armour. Just imagine being trapped in heavy armour and the poison slowly erodes your body away", Alaric shared his view on Quintus' poison a bit too clearly.
"It is indeed the greatest weapon of wyverns, but less effective against too many targets", Niloticus, remarked. "Let's see what his black flames do."
We checked his breath against different kind of objects. Soon a pattern was found. Anything organic would disintegrate quickly under the flames. Contact with inorganic objects would instead end in the creation of a lot of smoke. The inorganic objects also seemed to survive the flames without damage.
"Yes, those kind of flames are not what a black wyvern should produce. Only some of them can even breathe fire, but this is just … fascinating", teacher said and stared at Quintus as he does normally with most single women.
"So does this ability come from a black dragon?", I asked. It should come from his other half then, right?
"No and yes. The records we have of black dragons are few, but they all state that a black dragon can disintegrate all kinds of objects to ash", teacher points out.
"So where does his ability come from?", Alaric asked and joined the discussion.
"Think about what he is", teacher said and both of us thought about it for a moment.
I had an answer after a few minutes.
"He is a hybrid. So his ability is also a hybrid-ability? Having characteristics of two species", I guessed and looked at teacher questioningly.
"That is a good guess and would also be my hypothesis for his abilities", he confirmed.
"So he really is a mix between a black dragon and wyvern. Does that change anything except his unique abilities?", Alaric asked.
"Yes. He will grow stronger until he dies as a dragon does and he can't be kept in check with any kind of bond, spell or restrictions", Niloticus answered and turns to me with a sad look in his eyes.
"Lucius we can't keep him. The bond he had with you has weakened after you returned. You noticed this as well. You can’t even force him to follow your commands. That is not how a familiar work."
I stopped myself from immediately agreeing with teacher. There was something different after we appeared in the temple it felt more like we were partners than a master and familiar. It felt different but not wrong. And Quintus wouldn't rampage or lose control. He had shown his self-control several times.
"No, the bond didn't weaken. I think it changed rather than disappearing. While I might have lost the ability to control my familiar, it feels more like I got a friend instead. I am still bonded just differently", I tried to explain, but teacher's expression didn't soften. Alaric seemed also a bit tense.
"You share that bond of partners with a hybrid dragon! What do you think? Which of you will be the more powerful and dominant one once you both grow up? A pact with such a being is dangerous not just to you, but to all the people around you as well", Niloticus shouted part of that but settled down a bit after realizing his tone.
"He isn't. Quintus saved my life", I defended him.
"He also thinks you are his mother and what do you think he will do the moment he realizes you are not. Will he stay at your side or will he burn down the next village? You can't control him", Niloticus added sternly.
Quintus growled at teacher and positioned himself next to me. A black flame was growing in his mouth. I placed my hand on his head. I felt a bit of hesitation from him before the flame died down.
"I think I will be fine whatever happens. To control him was never my intention. Only a free wyvern can grow to his full potential", I said, while caressing him carefully.
"Ah, the stubbornness. You are worse than your grandfather!", Niloticus shouted one last time before storming off. It was the first time he reacted like that.
"What do you plan to do now?", Alaric said and stood next to me.
"I don't know", I answered.
"He is right, considering his life experiences", Alaric said and exchanged looks between me and Quintus. "But I will stay at your side no matter the decision you make."
"Thanks. Really, thank you for that", I said and Quintus growled in agreement.
"So we have another challenged to master", Alaric said with a strained smile.
"I am a Vespasianus. How hard can it be to train a dragon-hybrid?", I added and Alaric's smile was cut short by a roar from Quintus. He looked nervously at the wyvern. It seemed we had a long way before us with one more obstacle to master.