Vitmori POV

The Drakewardens seem lost in thought; the three behind Tobias, in particular, were talking in hushed tones, whereas Tobias had thoughtfully scratched his chin. "If I'm being honest, Vitmori, I was hoping to retire soon after taking part in a war for the last few years, but if there is indeed a calamity in the next four years, then I suppose I will have to hold off on that." He said with a sigh before smiling a bit.

One of the other drakewardens piped up, the brown-skinned half-elf woman stepping forward while looking over at Tobias. "I'm sure we'll get through this just fine, sir. If McDougal could prevent a calamity with only two years of prep time and without the backing of the Drakewardens as we are now, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it with all of the resources of the Order." She said encouragingly, raising a confident clenched fist before bringing her hand back around the egg she so tenderly cradled.

Tobias gained a little more confidence as he smiled at his subordinate before again looking at my core. "You wouldn't happen to have any information about said calamity, would you?" He asked a little hopefully.

'I'm afraid not; all I saw was a countdown timer that was around four years long. Whether or not that's how long we specifically have until the calamity starts or if that's when the world ends, I don't know.' And I really didn't; it seemed like such a vague ultimatum back then, and I'm not entirely sure what to expect of it. Besides, what is a calamity after all? By definition, it is just a great disaster, not even a catastrophe or even an apocalypse... I'm not too worried that this world will suddenly stop at the end of the countdown since the world will keep turning even if it is on fire. As for me? Well, this is my second life; I don't think I have much to worry about. After all, I've already lived through one apocalypse, so what's another?

Tobias sighed a bit before nodding once more as he looked back at his subordinates before looking back to my core once more. "We've worked with less before, and we'll continue to do our work regardless."

'Sounds good to me; where did you plan on settling down anyhow? You still want to move onto my land, right?' I asked, bringing the topic back to the matter they were originally here for, though I looked over at Zasutir, who stood patiently by Dread and the others. He seems much more relaxed about the general state of things regarding the drakewardens. Though I do sense some mild worry about all the talk about a calamity. 'And how do you feel about this? Your people are the ones actually living on the land.'

Zasutir perks up at being addressed before considering the situation. "I do believe the supplies and potential labor force they will bring is worth hearing out their request. We are, of course, preparing as best we can for the winter, but there isn't much that can be done with how few of us there are. I'm willing to hear what they intend on doing and where they plan on settling." Zasutir explains, sounding somewhat professional and pragmatic about all this.

Tobias blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened. "Right! Right, yes, of course... Where indeed..." He murmured to himself before looking back over to my core. "For now, we hope to build a wooden fort, accompanied by living spaces, perhaps close to your current settlement of people. We intend on bringing at least fifty people to settle in and perhaps some workers that are trusted by the order to aid in the construction of it all." He explained, having at least thought about this much apparently, though he wasn't entirely done yet as he slowly paced back and forth. "Though this is only for the short term, we do intend on building a proper keep, though that endeavor will take years at least, so I don't have an answer for you quite yet." He explained, sounding a little unsure and a bit apologetic at the end as he absently stroked his chin, his fingers tracing the edges of his old scars.

'Wait, you're bringing fifty people? Does that mean there are going to be fifty of those drakes roaming around?' As much as I'm starting to like these people, that many large predators in one place would no doubt be very detrimental to the local ecosystem, even if a lot of the local ecosystem happens to be very hostile in the warmer months, apparently.

Tobias seemed to repress a smile, apparently amused by my comment, as he shook his head at me. "Not every drakewarden is a drakerider; between a lack of abundance when it comes to domesticated drakes and the danger of wild drakes, only a select few drakewardens hold the distinction. Even then, not everyone has the talent or even the ability to be a drakerider, but that doesn't mean they can't serve the order elsewhere." He explained dutifully but then relaxed a little more before continuing. "Beyond that, only fifteen of those incoming are actually fully-fledged drakewardens, seven of them are apprentices that were picked up to be trained into our order, and the rest are our families." He started with a bit of a smile. "It is recorded that the Grey Wardens we were modeled after had to abandon their families in order to serve in the order, as well as another noted brutal practice that would actually end the lives of prospective recruits and apprentices. First Drakewarden Davey McDougle seemed to dislike that particular practice in his retelling of the order, and thus that practice was not adopted by our Order. So if the apprentice has a family that is willing to move them, we take them in and allow them to stay and even find paid work within the order. The same goes for any drakewardens that take partners and have children." He explained, sounding somewhat reverent as he contemplated the very apparent compassion of Davey.

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That doesn't sound as bad, but still, fifty people? Do I even have the infrastructure to support that many people? Especially during the winter? 'How do you plan on supporting that many people, even accounting for those already in my care? I'm not exactly flush with edible resources that can last long-term. That's not even considering hygiene risks and the need for a proper semblance of plumbing for a population that large.' The idea of trade goods and merchant contacts does pass my mind, though at this time, I'm personally lacking such connections.

Tobias nods intently at that. "I expect the Empire has a plan for that." He stated directly before continuing as he scratched his chin, apparently trying to recall the details. "I don't currently know the details for that. Despite her somewhat loose lips when chatting with your representative, Mage Reyvyre, she and the Emperor have been exceedingly secretive about your existence. So far, your existence in itself is unique in the line of dungeon cores as we know it, as you are more man than a semi-sentient labyrinth maker filled with both dangers and treasures. I daresay you're nothing but danger to the wrong sorts." He mused with a bit of a mischievous grin. "So while I don't know the specifics, the idea that they plan on treating you as an equal is astounding, so this could be anything from declaring you as some sort of independent city-state or describing you and yours as some sort of frontier settlers attempting to tame these forsaken lands. Who knows, for now, it is only a matter of waiting for the Empress to do her official business tomorrow."

While I was certainly looking forward to tomorrow now, something about what they said caught my metaphorical ear as I just had to ask about it. 'I was supposed to make some labyrinth and fill it with treasures? That sounds incredibly wasteful; who would give things away like that?'

Tobias chuckled softly as he nodded. "Davey had some writings on that as well..." He started to say, though the other drakewardens seemed to start getting tired of just standing around and opted to sit on the stone sand, resting the drake eggs on their laps while they waited for the talking to be done. "He explained that in many writings from his world, dungeons were most often tests from the world and perhaps even the gods, a game of sorts for them to observe while the players ran around to test their abilities and be incrementally rewarded for their efforts, if that is the case for our world, we don't know. What we know is that most of our world's major cities have formed around the most fruitful of dungeons, the materials, wealth, and overall training provided by such places being invaluable to the people there. Often such nations with those cities tend to become superpowers of their respective continents. Still, it is not always the case, as far too many dungeons end up being malevolent meat grinders that threaten society. The Order of Drakewardens has historically put down seven of such dungeons in the last couple hundred of years, which certainly helped in establishing our global influence."

'I see, that sounds rather annoying; I don't need some trespassers uprooting my greenhouse or knocking about the training room looking for treasure that isn't here...' That really sounded annoying, yet I couldn't help but wonder about something Tobias said; if cities tend to form around prosperous dungeons, did the previous dungeon of this mountain have such a city all those years ago? If so, where did it all go?

Tobias couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Exactly, this place feels more like a home rather than a dungeon, and again, you are definitely more of a man than a trial sent by the world." He glanced back at his subordinates once more before looking back at me again. "I'll be making my announcement to the Emperor himself regarding the movement of my order, we still wish to be on good terms with the Empire after all, and I'm certain he will have little to say against the Order moving into your territory. We shall leave with the Empress when her business is done here, though I'll leave two of my drakewardens behind to ensure the eggs we have gifted you are well-maintained until they hatch." At that, the other drakewardens look up, only vaguely surprised but nodding rather resolutely, even if they don't know which of them will be staying behind.

'I see. Is that okay with you, Zasutir?' I ask as I look to the Shepherd again, the older man seemingly lost in thought after listening to the conversation play out.

"Hm? Yes, that's fine. These are our soon-to-be allies and neighbors after all." He mused with a warm smile. "They are welcome among us as long as they pull their weight in the meantime."

With that, I bring my focus back over to the drakewardens. 'And there you have it. For the time being, you should head back and enjoy the party you all have got going before you all are too missed.' Though I then focus on Tobias as I continue. 'Also, wait until you're back at the Empire with Historietta and the Emperor before you tell them about the upcoming calamity; it wouldn't do to make her anxious so far from home.'

Tobias looked vaguely surprised by that but nodded intently. "I understand; it will be done." He stated firmly before glancing back at the drakewardens with the eggs. "Before we go, would you grant these eggs a measure of your mana? I do not doubt that it will be beneficial to their development if they are under your influence before they hatch." He offered as the trio approached.

I suppose that's a reasonable train of thought, though I'm not really sure what to name them. Maybe I can do some sort of other ritual since I didn't need to name Grimm to make him mine. 'Grow, grow, and become strong little ones. I await the day you emerge into this world to come to my side. Stay in my care and become all that you can under my protection until you are ready to protect me.' With that, I feel some portions of mana come from me and pour into the three eggs. In the next moment, I can feel the connection has been made, and while they don't have real thoughts, I could feel their minds swirling with anticipation. It is... A rather odd and wonderfully surreal experience. Almost like watching an infant on an ultrasound, but much more intense.

Tobias smiles, somehow sensing the shift in mana as he and the other drakewardens bow their heads. "We'll be on our way now; thank you Vitmori." With that, they turn to make their leave, Zasutir following after them as he asks Tobias about sharing another cup of whiskey as neighbors.

That is one thing I miss, now that I think about it. Being able to sit down with an ally or even a rare friend and just share a drink in good spirits... It's been years already... Who knows when the next time will come?