Nick Smith

Adventurer Level: 7

Human - American

"So Bolisir is the kingdom, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Renv said.

"So... what's the name of the city we're going to?"

Yulk chuckled, "It doesn't work that way with the elves of this kingdom. The whole thing is Bolisir. If I remember right, it's a tradition that dates back to their founding."

"That's right," Renv said. "The first High Dragon ruler of Bolisir was notably terrible at names. Instead of admitting to this fault, she opted to name everything under her direct control Bolisir, after herself. Even when her kingdom expanded, the new territories were renamed Bolisir. None of the rulers after Bolisir bothered to rename anything, and now everything that is part of the kingdom of Bolisir is simply known as Bolisir."

"Maybe High Dragons are just bad at naming things," I joked.

Everyone chuckled.

"It goes a bit beyond that, though," Renv said. "Not only is everything Bolisir, there are no borders within the kingdom. Everything functions kind of like a big city."

"That explains why the fair-folk like it so much," Nash muttered.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because borders can be an issue with them," Yulk explained. "Some types of fae and fairy get trapped within the imaginary lines that we mortals insist upon. The more people believe in the border, the harder it is for them to cross. Bolisir's a big kingdom, so they have plenty of room to roam and grow."

"I kinda feel for the ones who get trapped in a forest, only to have that forest get smaller and smaller as the towns and cities grow around them," Nash said. "It's usually the meekest of the fair-folk that end up in that kind of situation, too."

"What about Tits and Algebrun?"

"I'm not sure," Yulk scratched his chin. "It could be that the road goes through their forest, and as such is part of it. Or maybe they're a type of fae that isn't restricted by the power of borders."

'According to the maps that we have seen, the Deepwyld Forest does not extend over the road we were travelling when we encountered the fae. Yulk's second hypothesis is likely correct,' Ten said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said to Yulk and Ten both.

I sat back and watched our surroundings as we continued to the heart of Bolisir, where we would meet the High Dragon. I wonder what it'll look like. Will it look like a dinosaur with wings like the dragons in European folklore? Or will it resemble a snake like the dragons in Asia? Or will it look like something else entirely? Will it wake up and talk to me, or will something else happen while we're looking at the dragon?

I've been trying not to think about my dream. The thing that told me to go see the dragon, whether it's a god or not, gives me the creeps. It said there's a bunch of other things like it watching me, too. It's been hard not to think about that during bathroom breaks. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had forgotten to tell Ten about my dream. I hadn't had a chance to tell Nash or Yulk yet, but I don't have that excuse with Ten. Maybe I just sort of assumed it already knew, since it's in my head and everything.

'Ten, do you know anything about gods?' I asked it.

'Gods and religions are not part of my knowledge base. Why?'

'When I used all my magic and passed out, I had some sort of dream. Except it wasn't really a dream, it was more like my mind had been transported to somewhere else entirely. Something that said it was a god brought me there. It said that Yulk's going to decline an invitation to see the High Dragon and I shouldn't let that happen. When I was out, did you notice anything weird about my brain?'

There was a noticeable pause before Ten finally said, 'I did not. It appeared to me as if you were simply unconscious.'

'Were there any indications of a wild dream or something?'

'No. The brain activity that I observed wasn't indicative of dreaming.'

'Isn't that odd?'

'Yes, but your dream may simply be a false memory that you obtained upon awakening, likely as a way to cope with the trauma you had just experienced. If it is real, though, I would suggest a modicum of caution. We have little to no information about gods or their intentions, and it would not be wise to do as they demand blindly.'

'You're probably right, but I'm still going to convince Yulk to see the High Dragon.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. Call it a hunch, but I feel like it was telling the truth this time. And if I can't trust my feelings, then I'm probably too far gone to be resisting it now, right?'

Ten went silent instead of laughing at my somewhat dark humor. I allowed myself a small smile before I noticed that the trees around us were getting larger and larger. The trunks were also getting wider, so wide it took an entire minute for us to pass one, and it wasn't long before the trees began to block the sun.

"We're here," Imlor said as the cart stopped.

I looked around and noticed that we had stopped at a building that had been carved into a tree. It had a sign with a coin on it hanging above its door, probably indicating that it was some sort of trader. Further down the road were many other similar buildings, all with lights adorning them. The visual was surreal.

"Alright, let's deliver our letter," Nash said, climbing out of the cart.

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Yulk, Renv, and I followed suit and Imlor waved happily at us as we started to walk away. Yulk and Nash were examining signs as we walked. It was like they were looking for a specific one. We walked past one with a plate on it, and Renv's stomach growled.

"You're still following us?" Nash asked the dwarf.

"Well, once you conclude your business here I was thinking I can take you to my uncle's shop to see about a reward for saving my hide," Renv grinned. "Plus, I'm curious to see what you lot get up to."

"Do you know your way around?"

"Nope. I live down south a ways, and haven't been up here in over a year. I'm pretty sure my uncle upgraded to a bigger building recently but I've got no clue where it is."

"That's okay," Yulk said.

He pointed at a building with a sign depicting a pen and paper, attached to a large stable with several hnarses. As we got closer we could hear the ruckus of commerce taking place. Nash and Yulk entered the building first, and Renv held his hand out in a gesture indicating I should go first. I did so, and the smell of fresh ink and paper hit me like a ton of bricks, nearly making my eyes water.

Inside the building were bookcases behind a counter, several desks, and many elves and gnomes rushing around. Most of them were wearing a uniform, light tan shorts and tunic with a green symbol of a pen on their breast, and I assumed they were employees of whatever business this is. Those that weren't in uniform weren't rushing around, they were waiting in line in front of the counter or sitting at one of the desks with an employee.

The customers, I assume, would say something to the employee, then the employee would write. It took a few moments for me to realize that the customers were probably dictating letters or something. I glanced at Nash, remembering his illiteracy. He saw me glance at him and looked around, then gave me a harsh glare. I looked away, trying not to smile. He grumbled something as we took our place in line.

"What is this place?" I asked Yulk.

"It's a mail office. They offer dictating services, reading services, delivery services, and since they know where everything is, they can give good directions," he explained. "Which is why we're here."

"Directions to the Regent?"

"Correct. I haven't been here before, so I don't know where Regent Oakmor does business."

"I thought you've been to Bolisir."

"I have, but not this part of it. My business was with a certain sorcerer who built a tower in the forest, far away from any signs of civilization. She was much friendlier than you would expect from a hermit."

"This sorcerer you're talking about wouldn't happen to be Olmira The Eternal, would it?" Renv asked.

"Yes, the very same. She taught me how to use healing magic," Yulk said with a smile. "It seems like forever ago. How do you know her?"

"Olmira's one of the healers I was talking about sharing your discovery with. She's one of Oakmor's advisors now. She'll probably be around here somewhere. I'll check when I ask for directions to my uncle."

"How'd she end up advisor to a Regent?"

"She said it was because of the pests. Turns out, a tower in the wilderness occupied by just one person is a great place for bugs and rodents. One day she went into her cellar only to find a nest of giant rats, and she lost it. Demolished the whole tower then and there. She dug her savings out of the rubble and moved here. Didn't take long for Oakmor to offer her a job."

"Why is she called The Eternal?" I asked as we moved closer to the front of the line.

"She's a vampire," Yulk and Renv said simultaneously. They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Oh. How does a vampire get blood when they're living as a hermit?"

"Delivery services," Yulk said. "There are plenty of people willing to sell their blood, and the vampires who prefer not to injure people are more than happy to pay for it. Enchanted ice-boxes keep the blood from rotting during transit."

"There are services like that?" I asked incredulously. "Vampires just sort of order from a catalogue, or what?"

"I don't think the services offer specific blood-types. But you'll find such a service in nearly every territory. Sometimes they're even endorsed by the local government. It wouldn't do to have your vampiric citizens feeding on your other citizens."

I had more questions, but the person ahead of us finished their business and it was suddenly our turn at the counter. As we approached, I realized the bookcases had letters in them, and there were gnomes busy sorting those letters. A brunette elf smiled at us, and Yulk stepped forward.

"How can I help you today?" she asked.

"We need directions to Regent Oakmor's place of business," Yulk explained. "We have a delivery for him."

She explained that all we had to do was follow the main road and look for a building with a sign that depicted a tree. The tree was apparently the symbol of Bolisir, and marked government offices and officials. She was also kind enough to tell us that if we went further down the main road, we would find the sleeping dragon. She highly recommended taking a guided tour if we got the chance.

"Thank you," Yulk said and stepped aside so Renv could have his turn at the counter.

We waited for the dwarf to ascertain his uncle's location, and then left the post office. As we walked down the main road, I wondered how things were going to unfold. I assume someone is going to invite us on the tour to see the dragon, and Yulk is going to decline this invitation. I'm going to have to somehow convince him to accept the invitation. That's going to be hard, because I still haven't had a chance to be alone with my brothers and explain my dream to them.

"There it is," Nash said, pointing at a building.

Most of the buildings were within hollowed-out tree trunks. This one, though, looked like it was made of very old stone. It reminded me of the kind of stone you see a castle made out of in a fantasy movie. There were also plenty of people on the road, but none of them seemed at all interested in going in or out of the building. The doors were made of metal, iron probably, and swung open surprisingly easy as we entered.

The first thing I noticed within the building was the distinct smell of stale paper. Like the air within this building had been here for years, and had been reading all the books. The room we had entered was smaller than I'd expected, and there were eight doors. Three on the walls to our left and right, and two on the wall behind the desk in the middle of the room.

There were two people at this desk, a male and female elf. The female elf was sitting behind the desk with a serious expression on her face, and the male elf was standing off to the side reading some papers. Yulk and Nash approached the desk, and I followed them with Renv trailing me.

"Excuse me, we're here to deliver a missive from High Chief Ulurmak to Regent Oakmor. Is he in?" Yulk asked politely.

"That would be me," the male elf said with a laugh. "What a coincidence. I was just reading up on the situation with the Night Kingdom. May I see the missive?"

"Here you are, your highness," Yulk passed the letter over.

Regent Oakmor took the letter, opened it, and began to read. The woman sitting behind the desk watched the interaction, but was glancing at me every now and then. I smiled at her, and she froze for a moment, but smiled back and politely looked away.

"As I suspected. Strange happenings must be afoot for my blood brother to ask for reinforcements," Oakmor said after a moment. "You know he once fought off one of these invasions single handedly? Mima, make certain this missive gets to Field General Yom with the instruction that he take his soldiers to Ulurmak's aid."

"Yes, your majesty. Also..." she trailed off and subtly pointed at me.

"Hmm? OH! The human!" Oakmor slid between Yulk and Nash with a speed that would shock lightning. He grabbed my hand and vigorously shook it a few times before saying, "What a pleasure it is to have you visit the mighty kingdom of Bolisir! I've been simply dying of curiosity ever since I heard about the orcs discovering you. Ulurmak says they found you in a dungeon, is that right?"

"Y-yes," I managed to say despite my shock. "Nash found me and Yulk revived me."

"Nash and Yulk?" Oakmor asked.

"That would be us, sire," Nash answered, gesturing to himself and Yulk.

"Truthfully? Why, that sly pupper managed to send me the whole set! Tell me, did the situation with the monster in the dungeon ever get resolved? Last I heard Ulurmak was sending over-twenties."

"It did, your highness," Yulk said. "Nick is the one who killed it, actually."

"Nick?" Oakmor inquired with confusion before looking back to me. "Oh! Yes, of course! You must be Nick, then."

"Y-yes sir," I said.

"It's simply wonderful to meet you. Please, accompany me to my office. I'd like to hear more about your adventures thus far."

Nash and Yulk glanced at each other and shrugged slightly.

"It would be our pleasure, your highness," Yulk said.