It took three hours to sort through all the parts and contracts, even with a small army of merchants and clerks buzzing around. As it turns out, the Harvester guild has a lot of nuance to their contracts and, as I discovered, larger and rarer monsters typically have a myriad of contracts for various body parts. In total, I had earned three platinum coins, eight gold coins, and fifty silvers, each of which was for individual contracts. On top of that, I had made a hefty sum on odds and ends that were not covered by contract, but were still considered valuable. Apparently, no one expected things like hydra eggs to be recovered, so those were auctioned off at a fair premium, even though they were known to be lifeless. Perhaps they were to be novelty items to collectors or research specimens. I sold them for spending money, not for hoard money. The guild took a modest ten percent cut of the total sale, which I found to be most agreeable.
By contrast, the Exterminator guild was more straightforward. Nasty beasts and monsters cause enough of a ruckus and a kill contract gets made for them. The contracts that also are in demand by the Harvester guild are hot ticket items, as one can double-dip and accept both contracts, should one be lucky enough to beat the crowd to claim the extermination contract first. The other parts of the Adventurer Guild did not as easily line up for their contracts. The Escort Guild, which is to say, one for guards, not high class prostitutes, may have a client take a path near another bounty, where those monsters may just happen to attack you. I had not dabbled in that, other than for courier contracts around town, where the contents of the package were presumably valuable enough to warrant the protection of an Adventurer over an average person. Most everything else fell under the purview of the Expert Guild, which is one for performing sophisticated labor, usually those involving traveling to dangerous areas where normal people who have the Skills to perform the task could not be reasonably expected to survive. It is one thing to build a cistern somewhere outside the city, but quite another to do so while angry manticores want to rip your face off.
I canceled my job for the goblins, as was my right. I would have had to pay a fee to back out on it under normal circumstances, but death, grievous injury, or an encounter with a threat reasonably rated higher than what one can handle all provide one with a free out. Well, I suppose the city could have been under attack too, but that is a bit extreme. I would wager that few would have been able to offer as much undeniable proof as I had concerning my encounter outside of my pay grade.
Considering the increase to my physical hoard and thus [Hoard], the [Age] increase for my dragon form, the various [Deeds] earned, and the Experience Points spent for new Skills by virtue of combat and conquest, I had grown exponentially in power in a little more than a day. I would need to take things easy and explore what I was capable of. I also needed to do a fair amount of shopping for material for new clothes, equipment, and other amenities and tools of the trade. I also commissioned a little something special for Chooka, a token of affection that would be revealed soon enough if events proceeded as planned.
I did find several experts and several “experts” on hydras. I also acquired some literature on them (the hydras, not the experts). It took me a while to sort fact from fiction, but it did provide me with a general idea of when I could expect the egg to hatch and how I would go about caring for the newborn. Very few have ever recovered an egg, as hydras only lay them a day or two before they hatch. Fewer still have succeeded in raising one, as they are considered to be rather challenging to deal with, and nearly impossible to keep adequately fed.
It took me three days to get my affairs in order and for my commission to complete. Almost everyone stared at me now, and I certainly was the center of most gossip, or at least amongst those who had dealings with Adventurers. I did take another examination for my Adventurer ranking, and to my surprise, I had skipped Gold entirely and went straight to Platinum. Such a deed was rare in the extreme, and this accomplishment only helped to fan the flames of gossip and to bolster my fame. Perhaps the upcoming cheese festival would give the people something new to talk about, and I only needed to wait until then. For the record, I would eventually discover that I was correct about that part, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Not everyone responded positively to my new fame. Some called me a fake and a cheat, but I just smiled politely and went about my way. A few hotheads drew steel and challenged me to a fight, which I declined. Some surpassed mere brandishing to outright swings in my general direction, and a few swift punches and kicks left them with more bruises and broken bones than they bargained for. I did receive an official challenge for a duel in the arena from one of the most respected Platinum Adventurers, and I discovered that such is tradition and more for an exhibition match than a serious fight. It would be quite rude to decline, and so I had that scheduled for the last day of the festival. Oddly though, an intermediary delivered the challenge, so I remained in the dark about who my opponent would be.
However, today, the fourth day of my return, I would be going on a date with Chooka. I had made the arrangements for trusty mounts that would get us out into the countryside, and she had taken time off work. We would spend the night out there and return on the evening of the following day. The egg would be coming along, as I felt fairly confident that it would hatch soon, and I did not want us to miss that.
We left at dawn astride rented steeds. Well, not actual horses, but rather close, if one took a horse and made it very much a lizard with no traces of resemblance to anything equine, but still warm-blooded and fond of eating berries, flowers, and insects. They have long tongues like a frog, and our ride was punctuated by said tongues darting in and out at everything remotely edible along our way to the countryside. Pragmatic, I suppose, for such a mount to maintain its stamina, for they scurried along swiftly on padded feet, ones with ample grip to go up and over pretty much anything in their path. One was highly advised to hold on tight to the saddle horn, as these creatures, geckodons, were known to show little concern for how riders felt about near-vertical inclines.
These geckodons showed us the meaning of haste, and we made excellent time to the northern mountains. I was not taking Chooka to the same spot as the hydra kill, but rather more to the west and away from the goblins I never killed. Much of the way there took the same path, and it being familiar and unpopulated terrain, I felt it to be a good choice for where we could go to be alone. I would say we got swept up in the wind rushing through our hair, but neither of us had long enough hair for that to really be a thing, so I am guessing we each just fantasized that it happened.
For her part, Chooka was dressed much the same as always, which is to say, almost not at all, but she wore a leather satchel at her side. Periodically, she would take a small vial from within and drink it down. The summer heat, while relatively mild to most for this time of day, was too oppressive for her, and these potions aided in keeping her cool, at no small expense. I respected that she never complained about the cost of it, but I knew that our trip would put a hefty dent in her coffers, such that she was not provided with supplementary means of cooling when not at work or home. I am sure our great speed helped to keep her ventilated, but she visibly relaxed when we entered the hilly forests and embraced the shade therein provided.
By midday, we found ourselves past the hills and to the base of the mountain proper. We made camp near a natural spring on flat open ground in a clearing. We let our mounts forage freely, as I was assured countless times that they were well-trained and would return when I blew the provided whistle so issued when I signed the rental contract.
Upon finishing setting up camp and placing down defensive wards, Chooka wasted no time grabbing me and carrying me like a princess into the yurt we had set up. She eagerly indulged her desires as two lovers may be inclined to when alone on a romantic getaway. Two hours passed before we stepped foot outside, and to her credit, she was rather thorough in demonstrating the Skills of her Blessing of [Courtesan].
“I want to show you something,” I said to her as I took her by the hand and walked her to the edge of the camp. “I trust you enough to accept me and to keep what I am to show you a secret. I hope this will do much to explain everything that words could not do justice to.”
Chooka smiled with reassurance, curiosity piqued, and I detected not even the hint of concern. She nodded her approval, and I let go of her hand and walked about a dozen steps away from her before turning back to face her. Inwardly, I was a tad nervous of how this would go, but I maintained a calm exterior. Any doubt on my part would be infectious, and I did not want her to feel uncomfortable.
I embraced the calling of my Blessing, my true nature, for with each passing day, my humanoid body felt more and more like a disguise, like a comforting lie I told myself and others as to what I should be. My personal effects merged into my form, while great scaled wings jutted forth from my back to meet the world. My body twisted and contorted as muscle and skin transformed and grew, aligning to my new form as a dragon. The transformation was not accompanied by a flash of light, nor steam, nor a mystical choir of heavenly voices, and while it took but a few seconds, the majesty of it all was undeniable.
“Be not afraid,” I said to Chooka in a much deeper and primal voice.
I had not assumed this larger version before now, nor had I ever bothered to speak while in my dragon form, so my own voice surprised even me. Chooka did not run or scream, which was reassuring, but she did fall backwards to land on her backside, her neck tilted up to meet my gaze as a small gasp escaped her mouth. To put it lightly, she was equally shocked and fascinated as she sat there unblinking for a few moments while unable to do much more than behold the unthinkable that had occurred before her very eyes.
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“What do you think?” I asked as I moved my head down to her level, just out of her reach.
“Fuck! How did you… What are… You are very yellow,” she exclaimed with much bewilderment.
She stood up and slowly approached, cautiously placing one hand upon the top of my snout that I had lowered down to her. She gently caressed me, and my smile of satisfaction flashed a view of my maw of teeth, each one a lethal instrument that could rend flesh and crush bone with relative ease. The view startled her slightly and she jerked her hand away for but a moment before replacing it back upon my snout. I took it to be a reflex and not actual fear, but I imagine I was terrifying.
I stepped back and posed gloriously, my wings fully outstretched, that she could bear witness to my shape and form. My scales, each one yellow with black borders, shone with an almost metallic hue in the afternoon sunlight. I transitioned into several different poses for her, doing my best to be a little extra in how fabulous I could make our private fashion show.
“You are so beautiful, and a little terrifying, if I am to be honest,” Chooka said with a smile. “I trust you, but I see now why we had to come out here away from people.” She walked around me to inspect me as she continued, “I don’t think I have ever heard of such a thing happening before, but you can trust me that this will be our little secret.”
Once I deemed that she had finished her inspection and that I had passed muster, I prompted her with an offer too good to refuse. “Care to ride me?”
She laughed heartily, and then scurried over to climb up on top of me. “You know me too well, I’m always in the mood to ride you.”
Her innuendos gave me a sense of security, for she only spoke that way when she felt confident. The spines on my back provided ample purchase for her to hold onto, and after she situated herself just behind my shoulders, I took wing. With each beat of my wings, we climbed higher into the sky, and in but a few moments, our little camp was almost lost to view. I continued until we were at a height about halfway up the mountain, and with no particular destination, I flew around the mountain clockwise.
“Watch this!” I shouted, as the rush of wind would have made it hard to hear otherwise.
Taking a deep breath, I let loose a fiery attack upon the stone mountainside. There was naught there to hit but rock, so there was no fear of causing a forest fire or killing anything. I had not yet tested the potency of my new breath, and I was rather unprepared for the intensity. Were archers to shoot up at me, my flames traveled easily twice the distance their arrows could travel. Before, my breath could hit a target wide enough to clear out a road, but this one, this could take out a whole troop formation and then some.
The heat, even at this distance, was noticeable, like the gentle caress of a campfire on a cold winter’s night. I heard maniacal laughter on par with pyromaniacal proportions coming from Chooka, who evidently enjoyed the display to the utmost. Boulders the size of our yurt melted on the outside, and molten rock oozed down the mountainside for a few moments before cooling enough to stall.
The very earth appeared to tremble beneath the thunder of my wings, for with my next breath, an arc of lightning struck a wide berth, shattering rock and scorching the pieces which yet remained. A miasma of acid next assaulted the mountainside, and all within it melted away into a green and bubbling pool. My final affront to the mountainside took form in a cloud of frosty exhalation. Where it touched, ice formed into large and spiky walls, even though there existed an absence of water to draw upon to create it.
Leaving that particular spot to reflect on what misdeeds it could have done to invoke my apparent ire, I climbed higher still, and we soared up and over the peak itself. We did not linger, for even as hardy as she was against the cold, I knew that even she could not endure the biting winds that gnawed at her exposed flesh. I turned into a dive, falling faster and faster, pulling up only just before we hit the ground, and at this breakneck speed, I traveled down the mountain and back to our camp, weaving recklessly close to rocks and trees as we made our way. I proceeded to gently land just outside our camp upon our arrival, taking care not to blow it apart with the windstorm generated by my wings.
I transformed back into my human form before Chooka could dismount, and I finagled it such that I caught her in my arms and carried her back to the tent as if she were a princess and I the gallant knight. She laughed with giddy joy the whole way, and more than once she landed a kiss or two upon my face when she could manage a modicum of composure. Once inside, passion renewed once more, and it was around the time for supper that we decided to trade the indulgence of one instinct for another.
“I have something I want to give you,” I said as we finished eating. We had a good stew, the leftovers of which would undoubtedly be our breakfast. “Hold out your hand,” I prompted as I placed myself before her.
She acquiesced with a degree of uncertainty, her expression changing between wonder and apprehension as her eyes asked countless questions her voice could not. I pulled a small but high quality wooden box from my pocket dimension. I opened it to her, and she discovered the offering made to her in its padded interior.
“Oh, oh my!” She gasped. “It’s beautiful!”
“Put it on,” I said. “I hope it fits.”
She followed my instructions, and then displayed the results to me. A bracelet, no more than a finger’s width wide, glistened in the light provided by the illumination crystal in our yurt. The edge was adorned with silver, and the interior bore the handiwork of polished royal azure. The center of the bracelet bore a single ruby, not any bigger than the band or protruding overtly. Such jewelry was modest enough to not be gaudy or impractical, but large enough to catch the eye.
“I had this made for you as a token of my love, respect, and appreciation for all that you do. I hope that you like how it matches you, and you may have already noticed that it does more than just look pretty.”
Curious, she waved her arm around, then gazed in concentration at the fire with fingers to her temples, and then finally jumped around and tried flapping her arms, each motion made with exaggerated effort.
“Well, I cannot shoot beams of fire out of my hand, nor move things with my mind, nor fly, so I don’t know what it does,” she exclaimed with scientifically confirmed certainty. She held her composure for but a moment before she laughed and examined the bracelet once more, spinning it around her wrist as she tried to figure it out. “Are you going to keep your mistress waiting, or are you going to tell me what it does?”
“Mistress you say? I think you still owe me a brooch if we are to make that official,” I replied.
Marriage between different races was not customary, but taking a mistress as such was the norm, and such relationships persisted to the fullest even after both parties married. Custom dictated the man gives the woman a bracelet, and if she accepts, she gives him a brooch in return. Well, it isn’t always between a man and a woman, as a city that serves as a trade hub evolved to be rather progressive concerning alternative pairings. Either way, no one wears such jewelry casually lest they give off the wrong impression, or if they do, they ensure that such accouterments remain particularly bland. The relationship was not official, only marginally recognized legally, and they could end at any point, usually with the return of the bracelet or brooch, at least in civil breakups.
“You won’t be needing this any more,” I said as I tapped on the satchel at her side. “The enchantments on this bracelet should help you stay cool, and far more effectively than those potions. I know you are comfortable with yourself and how you dress, and I certainly enjoy the view, but I want you to at least have the option to wear different outfits should you so choose without worrying about collapsing from heat stroke.”
“Ah,” she said coyly as she reached her hand for mine. “There is certainly something in there that I no longer need for myself. Would you reach in there and find it for me?” she asked as she feigned helplessness.
Intrigued, I followed her instruction, at least technically. I scooped her up off her small chair she had been sitting on and gently laid her down upon the blankets and furs we had made into a bed upon the ground. positioning myself straddling her just below her bosom. I reached back with my hand and inserted it into her sachet. I fished around, and with a legitimately surprised look on my face, I reeled out something round and hard, the only thing I found that was not a bottle. I held it aloft between us. I beheld a circle of gold, inside of which was studded a black onyx that had been polished round and smooth.
“It was my mother’s,” Chooka said calmly as she reached up to touch my face. “She gave it to her lover, and they stayed together until she died, so I’m pretty sure it works. It is not magical, but I want you to have it as a symbol of my love and commitment to you as your mistress. I hope it keeps you safe.”
She took it from my hands and pinned it to my shirt. I tend to wear mostly black, so it matched handsomely. I don’t know if it was the reminder of mothers, the apprehension that maybe she would not accept me for my true self, or the concern that perhaps our relationship was fleeting, but my exterior of confidence cracked as a single tear rolled down my cheek. I did not take myself to be such a sentimental sort about such things, not that there's anything wrong with it, but like the first trickles of a dam overburdened, that single tear gave way to a veritable torrent.
Perhaps that was the best possible outcome, for Chooka pulled me down to her and rolled us over onto our sides. She held me close and comforted me without judgment or jokes. She whispered sweet nothings to me as she poured forth all the empathy and compassion I could have ever wanted. I sensed that she did so not just freely, but eagerly, as if she had been craving me opening up to her and being vulnerable, to being honest in ways that words could not.
We stayed like that for somewhere between a moment and eternity, and in that time, I felt truly safe, desired, and appreciated for the first time in my life. Whatever doubts I may have had melted away before the radiance of her love for me, and it was at that moment that I knew with certainty that I did not want to be parted from her. Such compassion gave way to passion, as if my tears had served to be an enthralling aphrodisiac. We explored the extent of our love that night and found no limits, and I suspect few had ever been so thorough in such a commission of romance.