As the creature's overwhelming presence bore down on him, Ray found himself struggling mightily to regain his feet, the immense weight pressing him down.

“Who are you and why should we believe you?” Ray shouted internally at the voice intruding into his head.

“I am Zenith and you would do well to remember my name, little chick. Why should you believe me you ask? Let me give you a small taste of what I am offering, then you will understand what I say is the truth.”

A loud ding resounded in Ray’s mind as his vision spun and a new screen popped into existence.

Access level increased Scale Mother Zenith has granted you access to the 1st level of the Draconic library.

Effects

+Two all stats

Appraisal skill upgraded to Draconic Insite

Title received: Blessing of the Scale Mother

After a flood of information, Ray finally recomposed himself. He checked the screen for details.

Draconic library? Ray thought to himself.

“It is a collection of my kin’s collective knowledge. I have granted you access as a show of good faith and will grant you additional reworded if you help free my son and me.”

Ray jumped in fright at the booming voice that echoed in his mind. Overwhelmed by the rush of information, he’d forgotten his mental link with Zenith.

“Th-thanks, what do we need to do to free you and your son?”

Ray asked.

“All you must do is find my son and get him out of here. I can break these feeble bonds with a mere wave of a claw, but am on able to as they are threatening my poor child's life if I don’t go along with their demands.”

Zenith responded.

“So, you're using us as sacrificial pawns that they can’t tie back to you, am I right?”

Erith asked.

“Now, now, little chick, don't think of it like that. I am offering you power for a small service. I wouldn’t be asking you to do this unless I believed you were more than capable of succeeding.”

She said gently. With a look over at Erith, Ray tried to discern her wishes and what she hoped to accomplish.

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“If truthful, this opportunity's too good to miss.”

She said with a shrug.

“Agreed, but we should still be careful.”

Ray responded before turning to Zenith again.

“We will accept your proposal if you can give us any sort of assurance that you will keep your end of the bargain.”

“Tsk tsk tsk,” she clucked, her voice a low, disapproving rumble, “I already have a little chick. I would recommend that you examine the title you have obtained.“

Ray followed the directions and examined his new title.

Blessing of the Scale Mother

You have received the blessing of scale mother Zenith

This blessing marks you as an honorary member of the scale kin

In addition, the scale mother has attached a contract to this blessing, promising you safety and tutelage under her wing.

Punishment for breaking the contract: soul destruction.

“As you are now undoubtedly aware, fulfilling your obligation necessitates my adherence to the agreement, as failure to would cause my demise. “

Zenith said.

Ray nodded.

“Fine, with that settled, I will accept your proposal.”

Ray said before looking at Erith. She nodded in agreement before speaking.

“I accept as well. We will do our best to save your son.”

“Please accept my sincere gratitude.“

Zenith said with a slight bow of her monstrous head. Ray and Erith returned the gesture before making their way to a set of stairs leading down from the landing. Stealthily, they followed the spiral path down into the cavern. After two minutes of cautious descent, the pair finally arrived at the bottom. Finding themself on the side of the cavern farthest from Zenith. For approximately forty feet near the stairwell's end, there was a complete absence of cages. Ray gained a clearer perspective of the monstrous creatures lurking within. Most of these enormous creatures had metal body parts that gave them a more menacing appearance. Ray shivered, the memory of the cat-like beast's claws tearing into his flesh, still raw and vivid, making his skin crawl. With a gentle touch to his shoulder, Erith offered reassurance and calmed his agitated state. He gave her a thumbs up to show that he was ok now before they continued. There was a hallway to the left before the first set of cages that they checked first for the missing scale kin. Staying in the shadows as best as they could, they made their way into and deeper down the hallway, hearing a strange whirring noise as they continued further. They walked along the path for several minutes, finding multiple rooms small rooms. One looked to be a bedroom, with the others seeming to serve as storage. Finally, at the end of the winding hallway, they came to a dimly lit room where the whirring sound grew the loudest. As Ray cautiously peeked around the corner, his eyes fell upon a small, gaunt figure, a man whose appearance suggested severe malnutrition. He wore a tattered, white, hoodless cloak. A band wrapped around his head held some sort of transparent box over his eyes. He hunched over a metal bench and was working on a massive metallic appendage. To formulate a plan of action without interruption, Ray discreetly signaled Erith to withdraw from the room, creating a necessary distance for their discussion.

“What are you thinking?”

She asked in a whisper.

“It would be wise to surround him and aim to incapacitate him from both sides. I’ll go left, aiming to sweep his feet out from under him; if you can hold the right flank and strike him with all your might, we can knock him unconscious.”

“Let's give it a sh-”

As the whirring of the machinery faded into a heavy, expectant silence, a clawed hand, cold as ice and sharp as a knife, snaked around the corner, heading straight for Erith's throat, cutting short her sentence as she gasped.