“Well, that was not something you see every day. Glad he’s okay though.”
Heads nodded in knowing agreement at the awe-inspiring sight we had witnessed. Some power, some Divinity, had been present in the cave with us, all focused on Alterez and the restoration of his body. Each one of them had felt the presence, an icy chill going down their backs as a god manifested his or her will in the room with them. This was not performed through an intermediary, such as a [Cleric] or an [Avatar], but directly. A rare miracle indeed, one to be taken seriously.
I pulled a goblin-sized bed from my pocket dimension, gently scooped Alterez up, and placed him gingerly within it, tucking him in so he would stay warm and comfortable while he slept. We then gathered around the table, each taking their intended seat, with Chooka to my right, Skull to my left, and Princess Nanu across from me.
“I suppose now is a good time to discuss what to do next. There are several matters that need to be addressed. We have dragon bodies to harvest and our expert harvester is currently indisposed. We have a hoard to divvy up between us and other rooms to explore. There are at least two kobolds running around whom we should probably talk to and figure out what it is they want. There is the adoption process, which I don’t know much about. There is also the matter of my education as a dragon and what pertinent and immediate actions I should take in response to my existence being exposed to the world. We still have half a day until other Adventurers learn about this dragon lair, and some more time after that until the first ones arrive, so I believe we are still on schedule.”
I gave them each a moment to digest the agenda for this impromptu meeting. Some of those concerns were heavy topics that we would like to avoid if we had that luxury, but sadly, time was of the essence. They all looked to me for leadership, and fortunately, I had Skills just for that, and they naturally guided me and provided the confidence and finesse to manage what matters I had on my plate.
“Okay then, let’s start simple; the physical hoard of treasure. My own [Hoard] is one of quality. I don’t know if I can just take everything from the hoards of these dragons. By looking at it, they seem to be attracted to the base material value of things, so I expect each of them had a quantity [Hoard].” I turned to face my newest advisor on such matters. “Princess Nanu, you have more experience with such things, what are your thoughts?”
Princess Nanu straightened herself up, her voice clear and calm as she outlined her thoughts. “Quantity [Hoards] are typical of low peerage dragons. You can take some things, but only things you feel are interesting, cool, or otherwise ‘speak’ to you, for lack of a better term, which will be intuitive once you try. I myself have a hybrid [Hoard], where I can take as much as I want, but the circumstances have to be just right. Specifically, I can accept any agreed upon sum into my [Hoard] if it is related to a deal involving secrets, knowledge, or confidentiality.”
I pondered this for a moment, coming to a conclusion quickly as a little idea wormed its way into my mind. “Perhaps then, I could take what things suit me, and the rest could go to you, excluding what shares were promised to the others here.”
Her eyes widened at that offer, but then she collected herself before responding. “That is most generous of you. You could simply keep the rest for spending money. Not that I am complaining, but why give it to me?”
“Because you matter and you are worth more than such treasures,” I replied with a smile. Apparently, it was contagious, for Skull and Chooka also smiled at such a heartwarming gesture. “I don’t know the details, but I can imagine your time spent in captivity has seen your physical hoard unguarded and plundered. I think rebuilding it would be prudent and a priority in your life. What sort of Emperor would I be if I could not provide for and protect those under me? Your adoption would ring hollow if I did not provide you with a suitable supply of treasure for your [Hoard]. If you need such to accept it, then let it be a price paid for your continued discretion in managing what affairs I delegate to you and what secrets I trust you with keeping.”
The Princess looked like she teetered on the verge of crying again. Today had been a very emotional day, and as stalwart as she was, not even centuries of life could make one that compartmentalized in handling emotions.
“I accept with gratitude the bounty you offer me,” she responded with a slight bow. “It is beyond fair and far more than I deserve. I cannot even remember someone being this kind to me ever before. What you offer freely is what dragons would kill for.”
“To be fair,” I replied with a cheeky grin. “I did kill for it. However, having you by my side is worth more to me than a thousand such piles of treasure.”
That made her blush, and Chooka rubbed my knee with hers, looking impressed by my smooth talking. Now, I already had Princess Nanu’s loyalty and desire to bed me, so from my point of view, this wasn’t a calculated manipulation to seduce her, but a way to help her recover from her terrible ordeals and to reinforce the idea that she was one of us now, for we take care of our own. However, my intent always pales compared to the perception of others, and I could only guess as to how the others truly felt about my actions. Well, Skull felt I was being rather sweet, but I could only tell that because of our bond.
“I think The Boys, Hopper, and Ribbette can watch over the dragon corpses until Alterez wakes and is prepared to harvest them. My mana regeneration is making headway despite their continued drain for being summoned, so nothing to worry about there. The kobolds know more about this place and what is stored in the various rooms, so we should probably find them and discover their intentions before we go exploring. So, after we wrap that up, we can go over the adoption process, after which Princess Nanu will be free to share her knowledge with me, and from there, we formulate a plan going forward. How does all that sound?”
A chorus of agreement followed my little speech. Princess Nanu could barely contain her eagerness for adoption, and Chooka would not miss such an experience for the world. It wasn’t every day she had the opportunity to see how dragons having sex did weird magic stuff like adoption and sharing Traits, so no doubt this would make another entry in her little black book.
Skull caught my gaze as we all rose from our seats, each of us ready to look for the kobolds. “Master, the kobolds had expressed that they hoped you would be the victor in this battle, for they had already wanted to serve you.” We set off as Skull talked, with Princess Nanu leading the way since she knew the most about this place. “However, being as they are kobolds, they were compelled to serve their current master until you contested him. All things considered, I believe they pulled their punches while still following the letter of their instructions.”
I nodded in agreement as we made our way to a side chamber from the main cave. Princess Nanu said the hatchery would be here, and thus the eggs of the Count and his Barons. The kobolds, most likely wanting to resurrect their dead friends, would also probably be there, since they needed dragon eggs to do so. Indeed, there was the finely dressed male kobold and his ‘sexy’ female compatriot. Hmm, perhaps companion is more apt, for she appeared to be awfully sweet on him, her eyes filled with adoration as she smiled joyfully while staring at him and hanging on his arm.
The male kobold turned to face us, and he stowed his cigar and withdrew his hat, bending into a polite bow as he greeted us.
“Salutations, Master. I, your humble servant, Gambino, greet you, should you desire to accept the services of my troupe. This lovely lady next to me is the love of my life, Bambina.”
I sized him up, which physically, was not much, for he almost stood to my waist, about a few inches taller than Alterez. Handsome, no doubt, but more adorable to my tastes, looking more like an overgrown and anthropomorphic gecko or skink in a pinstripe suit. Later in life when I learned more about lizards and the like, I would know that he was modeled off an armadillo girdled lizard, which certainly resembles a dragon more than most. Conversely, Bambina looked like a leopard gecko, which gave her much smoother features than the cool and tough-looking Gambino. Both had blue tongues, though, which seems to be true regardless of what lizard model a kobold hails from.
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“I accept you and your troupe into my service and protection. Do you need help with anything?”
“Indeed, Master. We have placed our dead onto these two eggs here, but we cannot activate the resurrection process. You are the owner of these eggs now, and it is your decision if they should be used for resurrection or not. Additionally, I request that you promote them from [Background Characters] to [Kuroko], for such a Blessing is difficult to recruit and a powerful boon for the troupe.”
Princess Nanu gave me a nod of approval, seemingly eager to see it done.
“That sounds reasonable, Gambino. Princess Nanu, could you instruct me as to what I must do?”
“Indeed, Emperor,” she replied as she moved to stand by the eggs, gesturing as she outlined the process. “You are most likely not advanced enough in [Age] to have the required Skills, but little tricks like this can help out. Hold my hand and place your other hand on the egg, and I will unlock your required [Age] Skills for [Kobold Management], [Resurrection - Kobold] and [Spatial Storage - Dragon Eggs]. I advise you tuck the rest of these two dozen or so eggs into your new storage. Bear in mind, like all storage, time does not pass within, so these eggs will not incubate while in storage.”
I did as instructed, and as I touched the egg, I felt a jolt of power from Princess Nanu rush into me. Taking a moment to review my [Age] related Skills, I indeed located the new Skills, each of which were only a little distance away in the Skill web. They were not touching Skills that were clearly visible, instead remaining in the border area of vaguely outlined Skills based on a visible icon but devoid of title or description. However they were not not located in the fog beyond. Ergo, I would have naturally unlocked the ability to purchase these Skills relatively soon, perhaps within a year. However, thanks to the help of Princess Nanu, they were revealed in full. Naturally, I purchased them all, which hardly put a dent in my new and lucrative supply of Experience Points. I did wonder what it had cost her, but she made no complaint at the transaction.
Focusing on the egg, I did feel more than see the option to resurrect the kobold on top of it. The resurrection process would cost me a respectable chunk of mana, perhaps an hour’s worth of regeneration, which was trivial considering the lifespan of a kobold. The most peculiar aspect of the process was how it cost me Experience Points to upgrade the kobolds to their new class. The amount was relatively cheap, but I could imagine it would be staggering if one had dozens or hundreds of kobolds in one’s service.
I accepted the upgrade to [Kuroko], not entirely certain what that even was, but I trusted Gambino that it was a good thing. The body of the dead kobold melded into the egg, almost as if he could pass through it as though it were not even there. The egg, itself coming up to my knee and looking like a red and scaly rock, glowed from within, radiating gentle heat as if a fire were lit within. I repeated the same process on the other egg, which had the same effect.
“All done. How long do we need to wait for them to… incubate, I guess?”
“Perhaps a day at most, Master,” replied Gambino with another bow. “On behalf of my troupe, I thank you for your generosity in this matter.”
“No need to be so formal. We are all in this together from now on.” I scooped the two surprised kobolds into my arms, hugging them close. I could fear their fear at first, courtesy of Skull’s Skills bleeding into mine, but they soon relaxed and indeed seemed to welcome the unprecedented gesture of affection.
Speaking of Skull, where was she? I looked around the room but did not see her. Reaching out with my bond, I felt her presence nearby, and with kobolds still embraced, I stood and walked over to a nearby room. I had been so distracted in the moment that I had unconsciously blocked out her emotions feeding into my own, and now focused upon it, a wave of sorrow crashed into me.
“They’re dying,” she weakly cried out, despair etched into her features as she clutched a bundle of some sort of creature in her arms.
As we all moved in closer, we witnessed a sight we would not have dared to speculate upon. Skull, armored head to toe, sans her helmet, in the most macabre and foreboding full plate armor the god of Fear himself had made, sat on her knees upon the floor, with as many whelps as she could fit into her arms hugged close to her chest, the remainder piled around and on top of her, around a dozen in total. Each whelp looked similar to an adult dragon, but their limbs were stubby, their head and eyes larger, their features softer and cuter. Pained cries seeking comfort and sympathy echoed through the room as each sought the safety of Skull’s embrace, their movements getting slower as time went on.
I placed the kobolds down gently, and as I went to move to assist Skull, Princess Nanu firmly placed her hand upon my arm to stop me. As I turned to look at her, she grimly shook her head no.
“She is under their spell. Insidious predators, they target and amplify an individual’s desire to coddle and protect, and then they direct it to themselves. She is correct in that they are dying, for with their respective masters dead, they no longer have the mana to sustain their lifeforce. Skull is easily susceptible to their charms, so you would cause more harm than good if you tried to pry her away. Just… let her be, and be there for her after they all perish and the spell is lifted.
Everyone in the room had a grim and dour expression on their face. Chooka shed a few tears, but did not otherwise join Skull in comforting the poor little whelps on their deathbed. We returned to the hatchery, and except for one larger egg that Gambino picked up, I drew the unused eggs into my new pocket dimension for them. The remaining two I carried out to the main room and set them down beside the table.
“This egg here,” said Gambino with a grunt as he placed it down on the floor, “is our changing room. It allows us to recast ourselves, changing our clothes, mannerisms, personality, and Skills as needed for our roles. What would you like us to be, Master?”
“Be whatever you want to be, it is your life to live.”
“You misunderstand, Master,” replied Gambino with a smile, apparently pleased by my offer of agency. “Your morals will be our morals, and our appearance will be made to match how you wish to present yourself. You could describe it, or you could touch the egg and impart your desire into it.”
No stranger by now to egg touching, I once again repeated the process. This time, I used [Kobold Management] to change the settings of what the kobolds would be. But what was I, what were my values, how did I want to be seen? I thought about my morality first. I clearly had no problem with killing things or people if I felt justified. Did that make me evil? I also help people and show compassion when possible. Did that make me a saint, or did it just balance out the scales against causing harm? I pondered it for a while, ultimately deciding I had gone about it all wrong. The gods ultimately judge mortals for their deeds and misdeeds alike, and while we can justify things all we want, our intentions only do so much to determine what awaits us in the afterlife.
When I boil it all down into simple terms, I am good unto good and evil unto evil. I do not waste my time and risk myself or others to redeem evil people who show no signs of contrition. I do not go far out of my way to help the downtrodden or the weak. I do help those who ask me directly for aid, provided the burden of doing so is not cumbersome. I don’t suffer evil people to live when it is well within my power to kill them, but I also don’t prowl the streets at night to hunt them down. Well, I do prowl the streets at night, and the rooftops, too, but that is more of a hobby to snoop around than a desire to be a caped crusader. I imparted that concept of morality into the egg and hoped for the best.
As for how I presented myself, I even had to consider that, for I never gave it this level of critical thought before. Friendly, I suppose, but not a pushover or a doormat. Clean and respectable, but not ostentatious or flaunting in either wealth or status. I did not aim to be feared, but also one should know not to trifle with me. Even the lowest of those who would serve or accompany me should have all that they need and a few things they wanted as well, and so I would not take any more than that until all had at least that much. In short, if you passed me on the street, you would think I wore practical yet appealing attire, dressed as one who could not only get things done, but would look good while doing it. I didn’t want to be some nancy silkpants who spent more time preening and posturing than actually accomplishing anything. With that concept in mind, I imposed my will into the egg.
“All done,” I said upon completion. I didn’t feel tired exactly, and while I don’t perspire any more, it did somehow feel like a strenuous activity despite not really doing anything physical.
“That only took an hour, not bad,” came the voice of Princess Nanu in response. She, Chooka, and a puffy-eyed Skull were sitting around the table nearby, presumably idly chatting and getting to know one another while they waited. The dragon eggs and kobolds were nowhere to be seen, much like the bed with Alterez in it.
“I swear that only took a few seconds for me,” I said as I sluggishly rose from where I crouched to join them, feeling as though I had woken from a dream or risen out of a dentist’s chair after an hour-long cleaning session.
“Pay up, bitches!”
An ecstatic Princess Nanu collected her winnings from the two grumbling women next to her. At least they were all getting along. One task down, a thousand more to go.