I tried to maintain my composure. "Dragons? I'm not sure what you mean..."

Ciaori ignored my feeble attempt at deflection, her keen eyes fixed on Kliss. "So, Elly. How would you like to join me for dinner at The Golden Harpoon? It's the finest seafood restaurant in Agamemnon. My treat, of course."

Kliss blinked, somewhat taken aback by the unexpected invitation. She glanced at me uncertainly.

[What do we do?] Kliss asked mentally. [I don't trust her, but... I want to claim her sleigh.]

[It could be dangerous,] I replied. [But it might also be our best chance to gather information about whatever the hell she is. We might need allies in Agamemnon and she's obviously more than she seems.]

[True,] Kliss conceded. [Plus, if she tries anything funny, I can always just bonk her on the head.]

[Please don't bonk the foxgirl on the head,] I sighed internally. [At least not until we find out more about her and that cart. I'm seeing some serious wards here concealing something incredibly powerful. Some kind of an electrical defense, possibly lightning. For all you know, she could be bonk-proof.]

[Yeah,] Kliss nodded mentally. [Concealing something incredibly tasty. Like a thick shell hiding the yummiest walnut in the world.]

[Please don't take any more bites,] I commented.

[I'll try,] she replied.

After a moment's hesitation, Kliss returned to the conversation. "That sounds lovely, thank you. I'd be delighted to join you for dinner, Ciaori."

Ciaori's face lit up with a triumphant grin. "Excellent! Oh, and you can bring your Champion too, love," she added, eyeing me with wry amusement.

"Champion?" Kliss tilted her head.

"Oh, don't play coy now," Ciaori laughed. "He's obvious more than just a simple fiance. The way you two seem to communicate without words, how your man reacted at the gate... That's clearly your bound Champion. It's quite adorable, really."

I felt my face heat up, unsure how to respond. Kliss clung to my arm like a reassuring steel vice.

[Just go with it,] I advised mentally. [It's better than her knowing the truth.]

[Right,] the dragon-girl agreed. [Champion it is, then.]

"How did you know that he's my Champion?" Kliss asked.

"Your makeup's peeling," Ciaori commented.

"Oh," Kliss looked at her fingers. Her makeup was indeed coming off due to dragonfire sparks that were dancing on the edges of her fingernails. I sighed and pulled out the makeup box quickly retouching her fingernails.

As I repainted Kliss, Ciaori's attention shifted entirely to the dragon girl, seemingly dismissing me from existence as if I was just a piece of furniture. It was both a relief and slightly unsettling.

"So, honey," Ciaori purred, her large, fluffy tail swishing behind her, "how long have you been out and about? You must be a new project - I've never seen one quite like you before."

Kliss hesitated. "I'm... not sure what you mean," she replied cautiously.

Ciaori laughed with a merry tinkle. "Oh, come now! No need to be shy. The Corvix of your citadel have truly outdone themselves this time. A Dragon-themed Arcanicx? Brilliant!"

[What do I say?] Kliss asked me, panic edging into her thoughts.

[Just play along,] I advised. [We need more information.]

"You're very... observant," Kliss managed, forcing a smile.

"Of course I am, love. Observing threats is my job," Ciaori winked. "Now, while I appreciate meeting new Arcanicx, I must remind you that Agamemnon is my jurisdiction. I trust you'll behave yourself here after I've helped you get past the gate?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

[Jurisdiction?] Kliss growled internally. [What? Agamemnon is part of Ishikaria, owned by the Empire of Equality. She's clearly not an Imperial, has no Vows hanging over her.]

[Remain calm,] I cautioned. [Keep her talking.]

Kliss took a deep breath before speaking. "And what exactly is your... job here in Agamemnon, Ciaori?"

"Just call me Ciao," Ciaori's grin widened, showing off her sharp canines. "I'm the Incursion Strategist, of course! Surely your Citadel briefed you before sending you here? You went straight for my sleigh, did you not? Wanted my help to get past the gate, no doubt?"

I felt my heart rate spike. Incursion Strategist? That sounded ominous.

I watched as Kliss tried to navigate the conversation with Ciaori, all while pretending to be something she clearly wasn't.

"Yes, of course," Kliss nodded, attempting to sound confident. "Your sleigh... it's quite impressive. I couldn't help but admire it."

Ciaori's eyes glinted with amusement. "Admire? Oh honey, you are practically drooling all over it! Don't worry, I understand. She's quite a beauty, isn't she? One of the finest pieces of Arcanicx craftsmanship in all of Novazem. The Corvix Coven of Cascade Magellanum really outdid themselves on her. Cost me an arm and a leg, but she's totally worth it!"

"Yes, she's... urm, truly remarkable," Kliss continued, her voice slightly strained. "The, umm, Artificery work is unlike anything I've seen before."

Ciaori leaned in closer, her tail swishing with interest. "I'm quite curious about your craftsmanship myself. What's your specialization?"

[Slava, help!] Kliss hissed at me mentally.

[Try to be vague,] I suggested. [Maybe mention something about dragons?]

"Urm," Kliss began hesitantly, "Draconic enhancements. Speed, strength, fire resistance, bossing Champion-kobolds, that sort of thing."

Ciaori's eyebrows shot up. "Draconic enhancements? Kobolds-Champions? Incroyable! I didn't know that any of the Corvix Nests were pursuing this line of life-forging!"

She looked at the dragonflies flitting about.

"Those insects are yours, right?" She guessed.

"Yeah," Kliss said lamely, squeezing my arm even harder.

[You're gonna take my arm off at this rate,] I commented with a wince.

[Sorry, sorry,] she let my hand go ever so slightly. [She's dangerously observant.]

[Yeah,] I sighed.

"You simply must tell me which Nest made you! What’s the name of your caste?” The Volfix asked.

"Oh, you know how it is with new projects," Kliss said, forcing a smile. "Everything's all hush-hush. I'm not really supposed to talk about the details."

Ciaori's eyes gleamed with interest. "Secrets, eh? How exciting! Come on, you can tell me a little. We're all friends here, aren't we? Didn't I help you out at the gate? Hmmm?"

[Slavaaaa.... What do I say now?] Kliss prodded me.

[You're... Dracanix Arcanicx,] I advised as I accelerated my mind to come up with the name. [Say that you’re an experimental caste, the first one and that you can’t share any further details.]

Kliss leaned to the foxgirl with a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m a Dracanix Arcanicx, first of my kind. I trust you not to share this information around, Lady Incursion Strategist.”

Ciaori made a lip-zipping motion, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

[Good,] I commented. [Pretend you’re totally here to help with the Invasion or whatever.]

“The humans can’t overhear us, yes?” Kliss eyed a few vendors and pedestrians milling across the street.

“They won’t hear a thing,” Ciaori nodded. “Don’t worry. My sleigh has a very powerful attention-redirecting ward, way above anyone’s level here. I was quite surprised you were able to spot it to begin with.”

"I'm pretty good at spotting things," Kliss smiled. "Dragon eyes and whatnot."

The foxgirl followed up with a few more probing questions, but Kliss managed to deflect them with vague answers and claims of classified information and secrecy.

As the sleigh slid through the bustling streets of Agamemnon, smoothly levitating above the uneven cobblestones I couldn't help but marvel at the city's grandeur. Golden spires reached towards the sky, and the streets were lined with shops selling all manner of magical goods.

Finally, we arrived at a grand building with a gold-plated fountain of a curvy mermaid wielding a harpoon looming over its Art Nouveau style entrance. The sign read "The Golden Harpoon" in elegant, glowing script.

"Here we are!" Ciaori announced cheerfully. "The finest seafood in all of Agamemnon, and coincidentally, another one of my little ventures."

As we disembarked from the sleigh, Ciaori led us towards the entrance. "Don't worry about eavesdroppers here either," she said, patting Kliss on the shoulder. "The sleigh's ward extends into the building. Plus, my Champion's constantly watching us from above, so we're all safe and sound."

I sent a few Infoscope into the sky and spotted something hanging there 300-ish metres above our Sleign. The something had no magical signature and read as empty space, but it was a distinctively empty space in the shape of a very large man, sucking magic from the air. If Ciao didn’t tell me about him, I wouldn’t have even noticed.

[Shit,] I commented.

[What?] Kliss asked.

[Invisible man in the sky,] I said.

Kliss looked up, squinting at the blue sky wrapped in white fluffy clouds.

[Hrmm,] She hummed. [There is something there… looks like a reddish spiral? Seems like it’s drawing magic in?]

[Yeah,] I confirmed. [That’s it. A good thing you didn't bonk her.]

[Yeah,] Kliss sighed. [Too bad. She seemed like such an easy target too.]

As we entered the restaurant, the aroma of exotic spices and freshly cooked seafood filled the air. The interior was lavishly decorated with marine-themed sculptures and artwork. Soft, shimmering, magical lighting that mimicked the rippling dance of sunlight on water light the interior.

Ciaori led us to a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant. As we settled in, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were stepping deeper into a very dangerous conspiracy, a side quest that was derailing us away from our primary mission of derailing Inquisitor Jubz.