An eager-looking Aark returned with Elder Emil, who greeted me with a short bow.
"You wished to speak with me, Amartho?" Said the kind-faced old man.
"Yes. I'll cut to the chase. I'd like you to inform me how to best repay the village for its hospitality, and I'd like you to teach me some magic." I grinned.
"Oh dear me." Emil stroked his grey beard and frowned. "I'm afraid I'll likely be disappointing you on both accounts."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well, I'd be happy to instruct you on the little magic I know, if you insist, but I think it'd be a waste of your valuable time. My abilities are classified under a branch of wizardry and require many years of studying to make progress. Thus, you'd instead be better off learning under some sorcerers, shamans, or any other from the schools of intuition and emotion-based magics, as they work more similarly to your innate draconic magic." Emil raised a finger, becoming the spitting image of a researcher excited to share his knowledge, "Afterward, if you are still interested in the more structured spell systems, your studies would go more smoothly due to having some practical experience wielding mana. Amartho, most dragons only take a fleeting interest in the casting arts, so it'd be such a shame to bottleneck your potential with the slower paths. Well, regardless, I'll have some introductory textbooks from my days as an apprentice and some copies of my personal findings sent to your manor for your perusal."
"Well, thanks in advance for the texts. Your explanation was reasonable, but what about helping the village?" I reminded him.
"Ah, there it simply goes against my beliefs to ask anything more of you. Dragons were generous enough to provide strange strangers, like me, a place to live away from the rest of the world's constraints; it'd be shameful to ask for more than we've already been given. And even disregarding my feelings on this matter, that little arrangement you set up with Szalu and his clan to help pay our annual tribute will more than cover the costs of keeping you fed and cared for these last couple of weeks."
Emil's irrefutable logic momentarily stumped me.
"Damn, I hadn't considered that. Still, I can't keep accepting this borderline-fanatical reverence toward me if I want to keep my sense of self. When dealing with a rationalist, perhaps it is best to play the emotional angle." I surmised.
"That was a matter of righting a wrong, which I consider separate from settling my personal debts. If getting my assistance bothers you so much, can you not pretend I'm just doing this for personal entertainment? Or are you really going to suggest there's nothing of value I can offer?" I said, hoping to stump him on his desire not to offend me.
"I think you know I'd never suggest such a thing." Emil sighed. "We really have quite the self-sufficient populace, so even if I wanted to give you an errand, there's nothing appropriate that comes to mind. I suppose you could ask around for something to do since I can't bring myself to give you an arbitrary task."
"I guess so, but I didn't want to further disturb the residents further." I relented. "Well, I've got Berke visiting next so hopefully that'll pan out. That's all I wanted, so thanks again for the reading material."
"It's my pleasure, really. The idea that you might find a use for some of my parlor tricks in your journeys tickles my old bones."
After some more well wishes, Emil went back to his duties and Aark fetched Captain Berke.
"You have need of me, milord?" He asked after removing his helmet.
"Not quite. I wanted to know if you had any bright ideas on how I could help out around here before I leave. Or at least, if you had a way I could endear myself to the people, that'd work too." I implored.
After thinking it over for a moment, he clapped his gauntlets together and said, "I think I have something! Ah, but it'd probably be beneath you." Berke hesitated to continue.
"Do tell. I waved a claw encouragingly for him to elaborate.
"Well, it won't affect the whole populace, but it'll surely spread so goodwill. You see milord, the entire guard has been on high alert since you got here, due to protocol. If you took over the watch for a day so they could have a break, my men would be mighty grateful." Berke leaned in as if to let me know a little secret. "They've been itching to go out drinking and gossip about your arrival. And I'm sure they'd like to spend more time with their families. As for everyone else, they wouldn't soon forget the day the village was watched over by a dragon."
"That's a great idea! Let's do it!" I said loudly, relieved to finally have something to do for others.
"Really? Wonderful! When would you like to start, milord?" Asked Berke, a bit startled by my sudden enthusiasm.
"Immediately. I'll fly over to the top of whichever home has the highest vantage point and keep watch from there. Let your men know they're relieved for the day. Aark, meet me at my new post."
Before waiting for either of their replies, I leaped into the air and flew off. After spotting the largest manor situated in the center of town, I landed on the conical roof of its tower and coiled myself around it. I quickly realized it was Emil's place by the scent, which was convenient since I was sure he wouldn't mind my presence.
Because the village was built on a hill, my chosen perch allowed. me to see well beyond the surrounding walls and structures. I'd have no problems keeping an effective watch with my stellar long-distance vision.
I settled in and killed some time observing the residents living their simple lives until Aark caught up, panting.
I addressed him with a slight pang of guilt from running him around, "Hey bud- uh, minion. After this, you can go do as you like. I'll have one of the maids get you when I'm ready to head to our next destination. Anyway, you've done well, and your enthusiasm for your new role has been noted. Here's a small reward."
I tossed him one of the recent sheddings from my largest claw, which I'd been storing my ring. My fangs would also be replaced by larger ones as I continued to grow, but I hadn't lost any yet and they were still too small to fashion into weaponry, even for kobolds.
"That ought to make a decent spearhead for you. An adventurer needs worthy equipment, right?" I asked knowingly.
He held my old toenail dumbly. "Aark gets a dragon weapon?" He squeaked. For a moment it seemed like he might shed tears if kobolds could. "Aark gets a dragon weapon! Aark gets a dragon weapon!" He began to chant as he hopped around in circles while pumping the claw in the air.
"Ahem. That's right. Now go, run along and enjoy yourself. And try not to show off to the other kobolds too much."
He froze, indicating I correctly read his intentions. He promised, somewhat dejectedly, then trotted off.
The morning passed without any issue. It was pretty dull really, just patrolling the skies, watching from the roof, and eating meats that were brought to me in wheelbarrows by Lin and Anna.
When night fell, I spotted Berke in plain clothing approaching my post with some company. His arm was around the waist of what appeared to be a half-elf woman, and his other handheld that of a little girl's.
After taking a quick moment of glee at my first real-life sighting of pointed ears, I greeted them. "Having a nice evening, Berke? I'm guessing these two are your wife and child?"
"Aye! On both counts!" He replied cheerfully. "This here is my better half, Meela, and our pride and joy, Sarah."
The long, auburn-haired woman curtsied gently and looked up at me with her gentle green eyes. "Le suilon, Túralókë! I thank you for granting my husband some time off with us."
Thanks to mom's lessons, I understood that she called me 'great dragon' in her native tongue. I responded in my best Elvish, much to her surprise, "Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo. I'm only honoring the good I've been given."
"Your spirit is gratifying to encounter, and you speak Elvish well." she smiled.
"My mother is a great teacher." I glanced over at their daughter who was hiding behind Berke's leg. I guessed I was a fearsome sight in the dark, so I conjured three dancing lights via my Fey Blessing and sent one to bob around in front of her. "Don't be afraid, little one. I'm a very friendly dragon. Would you believe it if I told you that fairies taught me to make these lights?"
Her eyes lit up at the magic f-word, "weally?"
"Oh yes, they were very beautiful and mysterious. Though, the first three I met actually dared to interrupt my slumber..."
As I told my shortened, kid-friendly version of my encounter with the Fey, Sarah quickly came out of her shell. By the time I was finishing up, she was sitting in front of her parents, with the dancing light held in her cupped hands.
"... and when I woke up, all but my three original pixies had vanished!"
"Then what happened?" Sarah asked in childish wonder.
"Well, then I came here. Human villages aren't good for forest Fey, so we had to part ways, but I'm sure I'll see them again in the future. Now, I think it's time I let your parents take you back home to sleep."
She pouted, but Berke and Meela looked grateful. As they said their last goodbyes and prepared to leave, Berke suddenly pivoted and added, "Oh, I nearly forgot! Earlier It occurred to me that if you really want to help the village in a bigger way, you might want to talk to one of my trainees, Lukas. He's the one you almost scared to death when you first got here, but more importantly, he was a lead farmer before he took up the sword for whatever misguided reason. My mother used to tell my brothers and I that those who keep others fed are the ones in touch with what really matters, so I bet he could help you figure out what the town could really use."
Stolen story; please report.
"It occurred to you?" I squinted my eyes and put on a toothy smile. "I had my suspicion that your town guard idea was partially so you yourself could take time off, but now that I know you were sitting on that little tip, I'm sure of it."
"Darling?" Meela turned to ask her husband in concerned disbelief, only to find him chuckling stiffly and rubbing the back of his head at being caught. She swiftly kneed him in the stomach and began twisting his ear.
"You oaf of a man!" She shouted at him before turning to me to begin apologizing, but her sudden spunk had caused me to start laughing so hard I nearly fell off the roof. As I collected myself I assured her, "I was just poking fun at your husband. I think it was more of a slay-two-wyverns-with-one-spear situation, right Berke?" I winked.
"Ahaha, that's right milord! See honey, he understands! And you've been telling me I should take more time o- Ow! Ow! Not so hard! Ow!" Berke agreed until his ear was further twisted.
"Oh so now this is because of me?! Taking advantage of a dragon's request?! Have you gone mad?! What evils have I committed in a past life to fall for such a fool! When we get home you're going to wish Túralókë devoured you whole!" Meela yelled and began dragging him off with seemingly inhuman strength.
"Save me, milord! Save meeee!" He begged as he was pulled away.
Meanwhile, Sarah just watched and smiled, having apparently seen many similar scenes between her parents. She waved "bye-bye" to me and followed after her mother.
What followed was an uneventful night shift. At sunrise, guards began returning to their posts, and when I saw one coming to relieve me, I also saw no need for him to trouble himself up the hill, so I flew off in search of Lukas. I soon caught his scent in the air I quickly located him on the northern wall. After making a few barrel rolls for fun, I landed next to him.
It took him a bit to gather himself from his yelp of terror, but eventually, I was able to explain to him what I was after. To my surprise, he seemed to take my request rather seriously and wore a face of deep thought before responding.
"I, uh, think I know of one of the greatest ways you could help our village, Lord Amartho," he stammered, "but I think you're really not going to like it."
"Not this again." I rolled my slitted eyes. "If your answer ranks among 'the greatest' then you'll have done me a great service. I have no plans on becoming a dragon who refuses to get his claws dirty. Now, what good deed can I provide for Dragon's Mortal Sanctuary?"
"... Your... dung, lord." He stammered.
"..."
"..."
"Come again?"
"Y-your dung, lord... it makes for the best fertilizer in all the world!"
"..."
"Lord?"
"Shhh, Lukas. I'm rethinking my no-eating-humans policy."
----------------------------------------
After an even longer time spent calming Lukas down and assuring him, I was joking, I had him give me more details. I learned that my... natural magic plant food would have what could be described as a miraculous effect, likely multiplying the number of crops they could harvest. I was convinced. I requested a map and marked a spot where they could begin collecting my... contributions on a schedule that would spare me the most indignity. I agreed to stay an extra two weeks to provide a sufficient amount.
News of my 'gift' spread quickly, as I started to find letters of gratitude and small bundles of food left at my manor from the villagers. I ate the food and stored the letters away after reading a handful. I, at last, felt wonderful knowing I had done some real good. Well, most of me did.
'Even my shit might as well be worth more than gold to them. It's like this world is trying to inflate a dragon's ego. Hmm, I couldn't tell them about my divine spark, but I did warn them that my... crop helpers might be extra potent due to my bloodline. And I did suggest they test the food produced on animals first. It should be fine since my spark's still completely unignited, right?... These are clearly the thoughts of someone doing a poor job convincing himself. I'm just gonna compartmentalize all of this away. Anyhoo, it's about time I set out to see the tiny lizard people who are going to teach me spellcasting while worshipping me like a god.' I sighed.
I had finished my first attempt of reading through the material Emil sent, and boy was it dense. Between the equations, I couldn't recognize and the terms I didn't know, I found myself grateful that he recommended an easier path. I'd originally hoped magic would come as quickly to me as it did for the protagonists of my favorite stories, but reality wasn't so generous. Luckily, between what I'd already learned from my mother and Emil's personal notes, I was at least able to improve my understanding.
On Angnora, 'mana' was the name of the most primal, raw, and pure magical energy that was present just about everywhere. Most living beings contained pitiful amounts, so to utilize spells and abilities, their mana had to be converted into forms that could be cultivated. Magicka, Ki, Battle Force, Spell Power, Spiritual Energy, Lifeblood, and so on were examples of systems created by the experts of this world to advance their combat might.
One piece of information that stuck out to me described a well-known phenomenon where ambient mana would lend itself more easily into one system over another depending on the region of the world you were in. This caught my interest because it seemed to corroborate the draconic knowledge I inherited: that Angnora formed from the corpses of cosmic beings after a cosmic war. I theorized that mana was perhaps an amalgamation of the deceased outer beings' remnant powers, yearning to return to their separate original states.
Putting my amateurish ideas aside, I hoped to practice magic under the same kobold shamans and sorcerers who mentored me back in egg jail. Sorcery, in particular, was supposed to be a good fit because it was the only type of casting that dealt directly with raw mana, and dragons were basically living mana generators. The main difference between sorcery and dragon-casting was that, where sorcerers used their above-average personal mana to influence or convince the ambient mana to take the shape of spells, dragons could fuel spells entirely with their personal mana or outright dominate ambient mana into behaving, depending on their needs. Still, the similarities in their casting were close enough to spread a global belief that most sorcerers had some dragon blood in them. The fact that sorcerers seemed to emerge more commonly from kobolds and dragonkin than from other races was further evidence.
I looked forward to finally getting to know my teachers' names and hopefully repay them for their lessons. Even more importantly, I'd be able to see Rem again, since I knew her tribe was close to theirs. I considered Rem to be the savior of my mental health, as she had telepathically shared some memories with me while I was still in eggy prison so I wouldn't feel trapped all the time. Mom and I may have had a powerful emotional bond, but only through Rem was I able to see new sights and simulate freedom. Plus, she happened to be my first friend in this world.
I asked Aark first, but he didn't know of her or her Windchaser tribe's location. So, I had him get Szalu and Rarn to meet us at the village gate to see if either of them had any leads. Otherwise, I'd have to go from tribe to tribe randomly in the northern mountain range.
Szalu also drew a blank, but Rarn, the most cultured of the three, was taking his time to search his memories. My claws were crossed.
"Rrrr... Windchaser Tribe, Rem... abilities of the mind, and serves your mother, Queen of the Skies." He tapped his claws across his jaw as he recalled more. "Yes, I believe it was during a warclan summit, many moons ago, that I heard of such a kobold. At one of the feasts, Sjigg, chief of the Firescale Tribe, told a tale mentioning a 'Rem the Queer-Seer'"
My aura erupted.
"What. Did. You. Call. Her?" I seethed and glared at him like a snake would a mouse. My animosity coalesced into the air, turning my usually monochrome domain many shades darker.
All three kobolds' limbs failed, forcing them to lay sprawled on the ground as they struggled to catch their breath. Nearby guards suffered a similar but lesser effect and quickly retreated.
"Mercy, Prince Amartho!" Rarn squeezed out. "It was just what I heard her called! I would never mean to offend one you favor!"
Like a splash of cold water over my head, my mind cooled and my domain dissipated, allowing each kobold to return to a knee.
"Fuck, I totally just lost it. I guess she's a bit of a sensitive spot for me. If there's some bullshit going on around her reputation with her clan, I better be extra careful to control myself when I reach her." I thought to myself while aching over the desire to apologize for my lack of control.
"That was, mm, unkind of me. Rem is dear to my heart and I lost control of my emotions after hearing the less-than-kind title she was given. Are you three alright?" I asked, trying make amends from a position of authority.
"Please sire, it's entirely my fault! I really should have known better than to speak so casually of one who is close to you. It was my thoughtlessness that hurt your mood. I'm eternally grateful for your mercy!" Rarn spoke with such conviction and understanding that my insides turned green.
"Szalu has witnessed your majesty's doting care for his favored! Szalu will make sure to double his efforts to succeed in his tasks and earn your approval!" Said the covetous merchant lizard.
"Aark was so scared he couldn't move! Lord Amartho must be mightiest dragon ever to scare brace Aark! Even if Lord Amartho is only dragon Aark has met, Aark knows it! Aark will stab spleens of dummies who wrong Lord Amartho's chosen ones!" Proclaimed my first minion with glee.
'Euuugh. At least my outburst hasn't diminished their spirits in the slightest. Hmm, I wonder if I can get some use out of my slip up.'
"Your temperaments... please me... I guess. Since you've experienced my true presence, you can assist me in learning more about its effects. Tell me, what about the experience stood out to you? You three could feel my emotions and saw the world turn grey, correct? Or do you three process it differently than I do?"
All three wore confused faces. Rarn volunteered, "There was no color change such as Prince Amartho described. There was only a sense that I suddenly felt so very small and in extreme danger, and you seemed much bigger and more frightening."
The other two nodded vigorously in agreement.
Fascinating. Is it just me, or can all dragons see domains? Come to think of it, colors weren't mentioned during my or my siblings' Naming. But that could be because it's a commonality that goes without saying to dragons, or because I'm the only one who could see anything manifest. I'll have to check with mom and the others when I return home.
"Good. Let's try something a bit more pleasant then. Tell me what you experience as it occurs."
I released my presence again, this time pulling up a fond memory of Rem. During one of her visits, she shared the memory of turning some nightmares her sleeping tribesmen were having into pleasant dreams. I felt the great effort she exerted to change the images of trolls, goblins, and ogres attacking into those of mining rare gems, sprouting wings and being able to fly among dragons, and ruling over various other races above ground. I felt her joy at helping them sleep peacefully, and her overwhelming bashfulness when I praised her for being so thoughtful.
"Rrr, Szalu feels... at great ease! The stress plaguing poor Szalu from your anger is gone! Even the amount of terror Szalu normally feels around your greatness has left him!"
"It's the same for me. Prince Amartho, you seem... more approachable now. Though of course, I wouldn't dare to overstep!" Rarn added.
"Rrr, Aark feels nice. Aark feels... his Lord is thinking of someone important," said my minion with a dazed look.
My eyes nearly bulged out from that last reply.
'Is my simple-minded follower especially perceptive? Or perhaps granting him status as my prime minion created some type of bond? Or will it apply to all future official minions?' I wondered in surprise as I retracted my presence.
"That was more useful to me than it likely seemed. I'll remember the help, and should I encounter any of your tribes in the future, I'll treat them favorably." I promised them.
After persevering through another round of unearned giddiness from my admirers, I had Rarn mark the location of the Firescale Tribe on the map the village had provided.
Stashing it in the ring, I flew over Dragon's Mortal Sanctuary one last time and bellowed, "See you all another time mortals! It was fun, sorta! Stay healthy!" Then I unleashed some streams of white fire into the air for my amusement and their display.
Mom had taught me that we never had to announce our arrival or departure to our lessers, but this felt like a nice middle-ground between utter rudeness and social niceties.
And with that, Aark and I were off to greener pastures, or rather, damper caves.