“The Crossroad Wayfinders, eh? Not the catchiest name, but it certainly fits your flight’s theme of and claim to roads. I could see yours either being best friends or worst enemies with the The Equivalent Scales. And It is based on whelps of all things, too; I did not see that coming. You may end up back here sooner than you think to finalize your statues.”
The egg-person rattled on and on about his thoughts on my choices and flight, which overall garnered me a passing grade, but nothing exceptional in its vast experience.
“Oh, and you brought me coffee, sweet, delicious coffee. That quest has been available for like, 20,000 years now. How hard could it be? Well, first I had to wait for evolution to take its ‘totally random and not at all ordained by the gods’ path for coffee to exist,” he continued with no shortage of sarcasm, “then wait for it to be discovered by humanoids, cultivated, and crafted into such delicious brew. But once that was done, it should have been easy for an Emperor to bring it to me, but no, they never bother coming back here willingly, too busy being edgy and conquering swaths of the world for themselves to remember little ol’ me. Your kobolds, blessed be their scales, made for convenient messengers.
“Anyway, as a reward, I grant you the Skill, [Rare Plant Cultivation]. With it, you could grow all those rare and magical herbs and whatnot that people use to make potions and the like, such as the coveted healing potions. You could start your own gardens, where normally such plants cannot be cultivated in domestic settings. Maybe you could find a way to make a coffee plant that doesn’t need sunlight and you could bring it here or something, I don’t know, just spitballing ideas.”
Its motives clearly transparent, I accepted the reward I didn’t even know I would be earning. I could almost see the gravy train of endless gold that would pour my way as I cornered the market on such plants, or perhaps, the endless supply of daggers I could end up reselling as competitors tried to plunge them in my back. How had no Emperor bothered to bring him coffee in expectation of a boon? Maybe dragons are more self-serving than I thought or just entirely lazy.
“You are most gracious. I believe all is in order here. I cannot make any promises as to coffee plant bioengineering, but I will try to look into it.”
“That is more than most offer, so I will totally get my hopes up that you will come through for me someday. I suppose you will be off now.” His glowing yellow orbs for eyes took on a shaky and watery look as he continued, “they grow up so fast.”
“Take care. Until next time,” I replied as I excused myself and walked my way out of the halls.
Leaving through the door to The Void, my mind drifted for some indeterminable amount of time before I found myself awake right where I had been in the real world, the cup of coffee in my hand still as warm as I had left it, but somehow ‘feeling’ drained of whatever spark of coffeeness it had before I left.
“What’s wrong? Did you give up already?” asked Nanu.
“I am already done. Meditate on your Skill webs and see what I have unlocked,” I replied as I stood up from my sitting position.
Nanu closed her eyes and relaxed, her expression an ever-changing sea of turbulent emotions. Though she schooled her countenance well, my [Leadership] Skills, as well as my connection to her as her Emperor, gave me supernatural insights into the state of her emotions. Confusion, anger, intrigue, bewilderment, mischief, and consternation waged war for dominance as she seemingly examined every new Skill under her equivalent of [Flight Management]. After five or so minutes, she seemingly finished as she opened her eyes and glared daggers at me.
“My Emperor, I know you are not beholden to me, and though I dare transgress beyond my station with such council, I would be remiss to not fulfill my duties towards you. What, and I cannot stress this enough, the fuck did you do?” she shouted as she grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. “These Skills are nothing like my old flight, all I see are Skills for whelps. Whelps! The disposable fodder of the flight that could be killed by a strong breeze.”
Skull wavered between trying not to laugh and trying to show concern for my situation. I could feel through our bond that she trusted me and my judgment on such matters.
“Let’s get the gang together so that I may elucidate everyone all at once instead of piecemeal. Nanu, if you would please go notify Chooka, Gambino, Bambina, Alterez, It-Has-Pockets, Bellwright Muddlespoon, and Torborg that I would like a meeting together as soon as possible, preferably today, concerning matters of my flight and our collective future. This will be a private meeting that involves discretion, so no guests will be permitted.”
Less than chuffed at having to wait for me to divulge all my secrets, Nanu bowed politely as she acquiesced. “By your will, Emperor.” She then departed posthaste, equal parts giddy like a child waiting to open presents, but also frustrated, like the same child being told to wait until after dinner to open said presents.
“You know, she only gets formal like that if she is feeling snarky when doing your bidding,” Skull stated as she brushed up against me, her gauntleted fingers lightly caressing my own.
“I know, but I think she would grow dissatisfied if she always got her way. Besides, this way she will feel that she played a role in earning the information I will provide, so that should soothe her ego once she realizes it,” I replied casually as I set myself to the purpose of pouring myself another cup of coffee that I suddenly had a hankering for, the old contents of my cup being discarded.
“Perhaps, but dangling such juicy secrets in front of an [Archivist of Secrets] was nearly criminal. Her mind will find no peace until you enlighten her. You sure have grown into such a tease,” she continued as she playfully bumped her hip into mine.
“Well, after having bedded almost every beautiful and willing woman in the camp twice over by now, I have come to learn that a fair number of them enjoy being teased, whether they realize it or not. Some enjoy the chase, others being chased, and others still just prefer direct and clear communication. Nanu enjoys a good chase; such is her nature to earn things.”
“Oh, and what do I like?” Skull asked as she handed me the sugar and cream for the coffee.
“You are in the last category. You hold a small nugget of disdain for people who beat around the bush because they are afraid of rejection. You think that people who want to be chased are vain and dishonest. You are frustrated by people who are slow to share their desires with you because you think it means they harbor some aversion to you.”
“Okay, wow, that is fairly accurate and I almost feel attacked right now, but I did ask for it,” she exclaimed as she put the cream and sugar back where she found it after I finished using them. “Good thing I am well-adjusted, otherwise that would come up in therapy, if I ever went.”
“Do you have a reason to go or not go see a therapist?” I asked sincerely before tasting my coffee. Egg-person was right, it does hit the spot.
“Pshh, there isn’t an Adventurer out there who doesn’t need therapy. If we were perfectly healthy of mind, we would settle down and open a tavern or something, not risk our lives out there in the wilderness for a few coins. I would be bored to death if I did that, so perhaps it is a matter of perspective as to what makes one sound of mind, ya feel?”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I nodded in understanding. Adventurers are dark of humor and oftentimes disposition. Some wear their emotions freely, others bottle them up, but all have nightmares and grief that cannot be solved by some miracle at the bottom of a tankard.
“Thank the gods for repression,” I stated flatly as I sipped my coffee once again.
“I know, right!” Skull beamed me a hearty smile, even though her helmet obstructed vision of her face. “It works wonders at managing all that emotional baggage for later. I think the snobs call it ‘compartmentalizing’, but it's the same thing.”
We stood together in silence for a moment, me contemplating my coffee and how those two terms were not the same, given that compartmentalizing regularly gets around to processing those emotions, but we had made good progress on the front of mental health, so I didn’t want to spook her by going too deep into the weeds. Plant a seed now, harvest the crop later.
Given that we were waiting for the gang to assemble, I found a book and sat down with Skull in my lap, who removed her helmet to make things easier on us. Today, I read to her about ‘Filigree Fungi’, a gnomish work about how to decorate mushrooms and the like, which was actually more of a page-turner than I would have expected, complete with pictures, which Skull enjoyed. Skull can read, albeit slowly, for as she says, the words swim around on the page. We do take turns reading passages, for I wanted to slowly help her overcome her burden so that she may enjoy the full bounty of literature. We read for hours, one book after the next, until finally near sundown, Nanu returned.
“My Emperor, I have prepared arrangements for dinner tonight in a private meeting at the town hall. I have seen to its security and privacy. All who have been invited have accepted. The meeting is set to begin in one hour’s time.”
“Excellent work, Nanu. You have exceeded my desires in a most welcome and exceptional manner.”
Nanu preened at my praise, the honest compliment having its way with her draconic pride. I pumped my legs up and down, and Skull took the signal to stand so that I could likewise stand. I then crossed the room to Nanu, who remained at the door to the house, and embraced her in a hug, one complete with a head pat and and a back rub, which she nuzzled into.
“We must change into our dinner clothes,” she stated as she pulled away from my embrace with regret and longing to continue indulgence. “It simply would not do to show up appearing slovenly in our day clothes.”
We neither hurried nor tarried as we bathed and dressed ourselves accordingly. Skull changed into a form-fitting outfit of black silks and breathy cloth, noticeably with pants instead of a skirt or dress. It revealed some of her form, yet remained tasteful for a formal gathering. She did not wear any jewelry or weapons, for her armor and sword had been absorbed into her shadow. In a pinch, she could use some sort of Ability to summon and don it almost instantly, although it would provide no protection to a sneak attack, which we were not expecting.
Nanu dressed in a mix of scarves and ribbons of blue, green, and teal, the whole ensemble somehow remaining on her body instead of falling onto the floor. I dressed in black with complementary yellow patterns and trim. Neither of us needed any weapons or armor on account that we were both dragons, albeit in human form. Should we need to fight in melee, we could both partially transform parts of our bodies into their draconic equivalents, such as turning our hands to claws or sprouting our wings as shields.
Properly dressed for fine dining, the three of us sauntered over to the dining hall, saying hello to people and accepting a few petitions for one thing or another as we went, for we had plenty of time to spare. Fortuitously, we intercepted Chooka who had been heading there straight from the guildhall where she worked as the guildmaster. Delighted to see us and to finally have another opportunity for a formal dinner, she changed course to intercept us and quickly devoured the distance between us with her long strides.
“My love,” she greeted as she kissed me, “and number 9 and 15 as well,” she continued as she teased Skull and Nanu, both of whom were content to believe they were in ninth place. It was half jest and half truth, for she literally keeps a book with scores and dossiers on her lovers. “I’m glad you finally decided to rub elbows at formal engagements, but the guest list seems a little sparse,” she continued as she hooked her arm with mine and nudged out Nanu, who walked beside her. “I suppose this must be a rather serious matter to have such an exclusive guest list.”
“All too true, my love,” I answered her unasked question as we strode along four abreast. “I have matters to discuss with my inner circle, as well as those who are one step away from being part of it.”
“Oh, and who doesn’t make the cut so far?” she asked casually, feigning a mild interest despite eager to know peoples’ individual standing with me.
“You will soon find out, but don’t worry, I might be able to squeeze you in as like a door guard or something.”
She elbowed me in the ribs at my jest, her other hand rubbing her knuckles into my skull. “Aren’t you just a funny one? I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Heavens no, most don’t even get invited, even though many would probably gladly be part of it if they could be a doormat. However, anyone with such enthusiasm has either peculiar tastes or is a spy.”
“It could be both,” chimed in Skull. “Enjoy what you do, and you will never work a day in your life.”
“Indeed, some clients might pay extra for that. We should put that in our listing and see how many takers we get,” added Nanu.
“Wait, you guys are making money off the women I bed? I thought I was doing it pro bono.”
“Eh, the less you know, the better. Besides, you would have to be in my inner circle to know the truth,” teased Chooka as we reached the door to the town hall.
While the three of them laughed at my expense, we made our way inside. We were dining in a private room, not the main hall, which would be used as a dining facility for many of the workers at this hour.
When we arrived, Junior Chief Engineer Torborg rose from his seat to greet us. Pleasantries were exchanged all around before he spoke something that was clearly on his mind.
“My youngest son has been blessed by Hammerrabi. His beard is growing quickly, and even better, it has naturally turned green.” He beamed a proud smile at all of us, taking a moment to realize that not all of us understood the significance. “Oh, I sometimes forget what you do and do not know about dwarven culture. It is a sure sign from the gods that he will grow up to be altruistic. People will trust him and they will be eager to pursue business ventures with him. Such a gift is rare indeed, and he will have his pick of any master of any profession he wants among the dwarves for his apprenticeship.”
“That is excellent news indeed,” I responded as I gave him a hearty pat on the back. “Your devotion to your gods and family has seen you and your son favored. Your family will be the pride and envy of the dwarven community.”
Torborg let out a hearty laugh at that as he clapped me on the back in return. “Kind words, kind words. I look forward to being there to teach him how to be the respectable dwarf I know he will become. I just can’t wait to take him to his first tavern for his brawl-mitzvah. Oh, that’s a lad’s first barroom brawl. Why, when my father took me to mine, we…”
The happy dwarf continued on and on as we waited for the others to arrive, his mirth never fading as he apparently had been eager to regale us all with stories of his youth and the prospects of his family. Truthfully, his stories were interesting, each tale spinning an image of a past filled with mischief and shenanigans. Bless his poor mother for doing her best to keep him out of trouble. If his son takes after him, he will have to lock his tools up at night lest the little rascal disassemble the whole house while the family sleeps
Bellwright, along with Gambino and Bambina, arrived close to the start time, the three of them appearing to have arrived together based on their scent lingering on one another. That’s the nice part of being a dragon - a whole world of information opens up to you via a snoot that can actually detect subtle scents. It-Has-Pockets arrived last, and with her, the gang's all here. Alterez would undoubtedly be bringing in our food, for such an opportunity to cater to us would do wonders for his Blessing of [Line Cook] unlocking new Skills.
We each found our seats, with Chooka to my right and Skull to my left. Nanu to the right of Chooka, with It-Has-Pockets at the left of Skull. The rest found their seats where they pleased, with a spot reserved for Alterez.
Speaking of, the goblin of the hour brought in a wonderful assortment of foods, including hot dishes and cold cuts, simple soups and salads and complex dishes that I am not fancy enough to fully understand. I’m pretty sure it involved layers of meats from different animals intermingled with an assortment of cheeses and sauces, the whole thing covered in gravy.
Each of us hungry, we dug in with gusto and engaged in fellowship and conversation. Alterez ducked out to fetch dessert at one point, which was a rather intricate dragon guarding its hoard, the whole thing looking realistic, but made entirely out of cake. And when dinner wound down, we finally got to the crux of the purpose of our gathering, the meeting to discuss my flight.