Alterez glanced around nervously as he hurried back to the dragon he had been butchering. At every shadow, he saw danger, and every glance his way promised that the observer knew and coveted what he had. Despite night having set in, his brow remained soaked in sweat as he scrambled over to the pit and hopped down to where he would not be disturbed. Just to be safe, he crawled into the corpse of the dragon where he would have the room and privacy to relocate his treasure.
Quietly and with utmost care, Alterez unhooked the sheath that held that dagger that The Bossman had used earlier in a ritual to save the lives of Gambino and Bambina. They, like him, were truly initiated through their baptism by blood from the [Dragon Emperor]. Even luckier, The Bossman had casually accepted Alterez’s very own ritual blade, one that had been used countless times in the super secret cult. This was no private potluck club dagger, no, this was specially made for the hidden cult to The Bossman himself. Now the blade would be properly sanctified with His favor. Future rituals would have weight and credence to them, and through that, Alterez was one step closer to completing his task.
He tucked the blade and scabbard into his shirt, keeping its profile well hidden by the leather armor he wore and well secured by special straps under his clothes. This would need to remain secure until he could relocate it to his hidden altar. With this holy relic, his true cult would grow quicker than ever.
As the hours passed while he butchered the dragon, his hammering heart calmed down to a dull roar as he continued his bloody work. The corpses of dragons yielded many treasures that were highly sought after, perhaps now more than ever with an existential war on the horizon. Every now and then he would climb to the top to deposit some meat or hide for The Bossman to collect into his dimensional storage. This would be the final trip, for the bones had been stripped clean. Not that the bones would go to waste, for the bones were the true prize here and could be used for any number of lucrative ventures.
Climbing out of the pit by virtue of a ladder that someone had provided after his dozenth or so trip, he took in the state of the camp that had sprung up in the swamp. The Bossman walked down the rows of corpses of dragon hunters, lifting them into the opening to his pocket dimension. The bodies would fall through completely naked while all their personal effects would go into storage - a cool trick that certainly flirted with the limits of what Echludoro, the Light god of Time and Space, would permit. Most likely it had to do something with the owner of the pocket dimension manually putting things into the pocket dimension instead of some sort of assembly line doing the heavy lifting for him.
Oddly, following behind The Bossman was Ribbette, escorted by Hopper. She had a leather sack with her, one that appeared a bit bloody around the stitching. With fascination and horror, he realized she only stopped at the corpses of males, and she used the knife in her hand to cut something away from them, which quickly went into the sack. Dismayed at her barbarity, Alterez scrambled to find a jar and pickling agents before someone snatched up all the eyeballs.
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Gambino finally found a moment for a [Costume Change] after playing twenty questions following his revival. He had work to do to keep the kobolds in line, and proper clothes were important to the image of a leader. He summoned up the [Armoire of Inviolability], which kept all the costumes and stage props of his troupe. It was a welcome upgrade to the old foot locker as it held more stuff and did not need to physically exist in the material plane at all times.
He exchanged out his explorer outfit for that of the boss. His favorite black and white pinstriped suit, another new addition, along with the matching fedora and wingtip shoes, would ensure everyone followed his commands.
Bambina, lovely as ever, changed into a simple yet captivating black dress. With her on his arm, he made his way over to the tent where the other kobolds were gathered. Two kept guard at the front, more to keep out busybodies than enemies. Inside, Montezuma, still wearing his feather headdress and loincloth, along with two other no-name kobolds, stood guard over their prisoner.
“Favored Ones, you grace us with your presence,” he greeted in Kobold as he bowed to them. “The prisoner is available for your judgment.”
The prisoner, a male elf, and based on the weapons he had used, some sort of [Archer], had been stripped naked and staked to the ground, his mouth gagged and his eyes blindfolded. The two no-name kobolds never took their eyes off him, not even to pay attention to the conversation. The prisoner trembled in trepidation, the uncertainty of his fate weighing upon his mind.
“This one tried to kill The Master. Only by The Master’s magnanimous mercy does he live. However, such an insult cannot go unpunished.” Gambino paused to pull out a fake cigar and “light” it with a bit of [Prestidigitation]. He puffed at it, with illusory smoke wafting up into the tent, as he savored the moment before he continued. “Break both his legs and have him nursed back to health. Don’t use any healing magic, potions, or any of that nonsense. Let him recover naturally. Rehabilitate him so that he learns to walk again. Once he has made a full recovery, break both his legs again and seal him alive in a hole in a wall somewhere. His fate should serve as a lesson to what happens to those who cross the Master. Also, it will make a great story for one of our plays. Capeesh?”
“It will be as you say, Favored One,” Montezuma replied with another bow before he left the tent to attend to that task.
Fully confident that it would be done professionally and quietly, Gambino left the tent with Bambina still on his arm. No one in the tent, sans the prisoner, would have objected to any form of punishment or clemency delivered to the prisoner. Such morality simply was not in their nature, for their actions reflected the desires of The Master. And since The Master had not given any explicit orders concerning the prisoner, it fell to Gambino, leader of the troupe, to make the decision.
As he walked over to where The Master processed the last remnants of the bodies, he caught a view of Alterez going down the line with a jar almost as big as himself. A good number of eyeballs could be seen in the jar, and Gambino licked his lips in anticipation of them being snacks at the super secret cult meeting later. Such delicacies were too good for the riff-raff of the normal cult meetings or even the secret meetings. Fried fingers could be fine for the normal meetings though, so perhaps he would suggest it to the Alterez if the goblin did not make a second pass at the corpses.
“Ah, Gambino, you are looking sharp in that suit,” called The Master as he picked up another body and dropped it into his pocket dimension, only for the corpse to fall through. Nanu remained at his side, her eyes ever vigilant for threats. “And you, Bambina, are simply radiant in that dress,” he continued as he moved on to the next body.
Gambino stole a glance at Bambina, who blushed at the praise and flicked her tongue down onto her bottom lip. Who could blame her, for The Master was handsome and everything a kobold aspired to be. Alas, he either remained oblivious to their advances towards him or politely ignored them so as to keep relationships platonic.
“You are too kind, Master,” Gambino responded with a bow as he removed his hat. “Of the 52 kobolds that left camp with you, 28 have perished. You have only 14 remaining eggs through which we may revive them, so 14 of them will remain under the effects of [Funeral Dirge] until such time as you have more eggs or our [Bards] collapse from fatigue. If kept on rotation, they could probably keep it up for two or three weeks, which also hinges on what recruits we get to the troupe. All of this assumes you will be gracious enough to donate any eggs to the troupe,” Gambino finished as he bowed once more in subservience.
The Master ceased his work and turned to the pair of them. Nervous as to how The Master may respond, Gambino’s mind almost did not register that he found himself and Bambina scooped up into The Master’s warm embrace.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Of course you can use all the eggs I have. You and your troupe risked your lives for my protection, and many of you perished to preserve my life. As you serve me, so too do I serve all of you. Any failure to do my best to provide for you would be an egregious transgression against our pact. You two in particular are precious to me,” he whispered as he punctuated his words with a fond squeeze. “Take care of yourselves and see to it your troupe lives as comfortable of lives as kobolds can. I hope the two of you stick around for as long as I live, so don’t throw your lives away carelessly.”
As they lingered in the sanctity and comfort of his embrace, the pair of kobolds could feel their love for their Master bloom beyond what they once thought possible. Through their bond to one another, they could tell that they both felt the same way, and that they perhaps were a little in love with him as well. Likewise, through their bond to him, they could feel his affection for them radiating towards them like the light of the sun kissing their scales on a beautiful summer morning. If only the moment could last forever, the pair of them would know true bliss.
Sadly, the hug came to an end, and with gentle care, The Master set them down upon the ground. The pair of them were blushing shamelessly, each fighting to control their emotions lest their lust run rampant. Soon, they too would ascend and become like him, if their Blessing followed what the name suggested.
“Nanu, feel free to say no if you don’t want to, but do you have any eggs to spare?”
Surprised by being put on the spot, the Princess quickly schooled herself, with only a slight raising of the eyebrow giving away her consternation.
“I had intended to use them for whelps, but I suppose that whelps can always be made later. The dead kobolds cannot remain dead for too long, and so I will spare the remaining 14.”
She spoke the words The Master wanted to hear like an employee to her boss when turned down for promotion but still attempting to keep things civil. While The Master may not have as much experience with how tight-fisted dragons can be with their eggs, Gambino knew all too well that what donation of eggs was pressed upon her clashed with her instincts. He made a mental note to have the troupe do something nice for her later as payment for her practically extorted generosity.
“You are more virtuous than the saints,” The Master said to her as he pulled her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek. That did cheer her up somewhat, so his flattery had not been in vain. “Make sure you two get something to eat, it is going to be a long night,” The Master stated as he turned back to the pair of them.
“Gratitude, Master,” Gambino replied with a bow. “I will see to it that my troupe gets fed and that our dead are properly tended to until we can return to the camp and revive them with your generously donated eggs. And yours too, Princess Nanu,” he finished as he bowed to her as well.
Quickly turning tail, he walked away with Bambina ever by his side. There would be a great deal of work ahead of them to transport all the bodies of their troupe come morning, and so the pair of them set to work. As they say, the show must go on.
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“Your countenance suggests that you would give voice to matters of import, Nanu. Unburden yourself by enlightening me as to your thoughts, that we may dispel any disharmony plaguing your mind.”
Overly flowery speech, a clear sign that her Emperor suspected he was the center of her vexations. Though he continued to process the bodies for their loot, he paid close attention to her, most likely through sensory Skills. They were alone now, save for Skull, who loomed in his shadow, but just to be safe, she placed a ward for privacy around them.
“I am upset because you forced my hand to donate my eggs, and I am upset at myself that I am not so free with my eggs as you are. The kobolds gave their lives to defend us, yet I am so loath to surrender that which is mine. I don’t know if even a rebirth can fix this defect of my character.”
He paused for a moment, his labor arrested by contemplation. Nanu knew he did not want to hurt her feelings, which was sweet and endearing, but also a little annoying. Sometimes, an Emperor needs to be decisive, able to make impartial decisions for the benefit of the flight.
“Would you have preferred that I let you offer them yourself? You were like a child standing by the stream, eager to jump in and splash around, yet hesitant of how cold the water would initially feel on the body. I just gave you a push. I have asked nothing of you that I likewise did not do. Tell me then, what would you have done to make the situation better?”
An improvement. He justified himself without getting defensive, stating his position without being domineering, yet laid the burden of improvement at her feet. Acceptable diplomacy, without a doubt.
“Only inconsequential semantics could have improved the situation, for you held no contempt and set me up to appear magnanimous to the kobolds, which would endear them to me. I accept that my attitude is petulant. Perhaps… Perhaps having everything taken away from me has scarred me deeper than I believed, such that I am not as generous with my resources.
He stopped his work completely, standing upright as he stepped forward to embrace her. Secure in the castle of his arms, she lowered her guard and relaxed, the tension leaving her shoulders as she held him close in return. After years of captivity and relative isolation, her hunger for intimacy and physical contact had not yet been fully sated, and such a gesture of compassion intoxicated her passions with blissful yearning of his continued acceptance. Even though she knew that half of that at least stemmed from his Skills and their bond, with him being her Emperor, she still craved him.
“No one expects you to heal so soon. And if you never fully heal, we will still be here for you, to love and support you,” he whispered in her ear as he squeezed her closer. “You are not a burden, and I am grateful for all that you do and proud of your accomplishments. I am excited to see what more you can do, how much more you can grow into the best version of yourself, and if you continue to allow me to be there by your side to help you face your trials and tribulations, I would consider myself blessed. Every moment with you is a treasure, I only hope that I, one so undeserving, can somehow continue to be deemed worthy of your companionship and council.”
Oh, that was dirty! Hitting below the belt! How he so smoothly struck at her draconic pride, praising her based on merit, she was helpless to resist as his heartfelt words seduced her and forged chains that bound her fate to his. The inherent loyalty and affection of a subordinate dragon to a parent be damned, her feelings for him were genuine! And as if his words and gestures of affection had pierced deep into the sanctity of her innermost thoughts, Nanu did something she had not done in a long time.
She cried. Ugly cried.
And he held her in his arms, soothing her with kind words and gentle backrubs, with nothing else competing for his attention except for her needs. There were no snide remarks, no jabs at her weakness, nor veiled insults at her vulnerability, none of the hallmarks of her old flight. Here, she could be just Nanu when she wanted to, instead of Princess Nanu, [Archivist of Secrets]. And when she finished, she pulled away from him, not in shame or embarrassment, but with remorse that work still needed to be done. She cleaned her face and dried her tears before addressing him once more.
“Also, use the bones of that dragon over there as a gift to The Bone Wardens, for they hate The Blood Keepers and absolutely love high quality bones. You will make friends quickly with such an offering. Don’t spend any Experience Points until after you go to that place that Gambino told you about, and take coffee with you; it sounded important. Emperors don’t talk about that place or what goes on there, but surely, it is where you will officially forge your flight. After you do that, you can build your first two children, and I will guide you through it should you desire my help. Additionally…”
On and on she went, rattling off one thing or another that required his attention, and he listened earnestly without complaint, with all evidence suggesting that he took her words to heart and appreciated her continued advice. The more she spoke, and the more he listened, the more Nanu felt useful, needed. And she needed to be needed. He stared at her with a silly grin on his face and responded when prudent, yet his attention for her never waned, not like her last Emperor, who could rarely be bothered to listen to her beyond any official report she gave him.
“What?” she asked as she paused from her lecture of their itinerary.
“You are just so beautiful, inside and out. You radiate positivity and conviction, and I just love to see you in your element where you can thrive.”
Nanu blushed. He so effortlessly spoke his true feelings and knew exactly how to get her all hot and bothered. Whether or not that was his intent remained a mystery, but Nanu prayed for restraint lest she pounce on him right here and now. Later tonight, they would forge a passionate memory for the ages. Truly, she had found where she belonged, making all those lost years worth every second.