Isabelle stood in the courtyard. The audience that had once cheered and surrounded her as she’d seemingly outsmarted the Overlord had by this point began to scatter away in fear as the looming shadow of what seemed to be an adult dragon got more and more opaque.
The Overlord himself was still surrounded by three yellow wyrmling dragons that were prodding and pecking at him like he were a piece of meat, something that was doubtlessly due to Isabelle dissolving all of her gold and riches with a vial of the Overlord’s cauldron goo and therefore giving him all the dragon-attracting properties of a big pile of treasure.
Maviel and Sylfir, two of the Overlord’s ex-party members who had supposedly found a way to make a party of their own, approached Isabelle.
“Well done, player,” said Maviel. “You’ve mighty impressed us.”
“Yes,” said Sylfir. “Count me impressed, for sure.”
Isabelle wasn’t entirely certain what their point was, but she didn’t really feel like talking to these two crazy ladies. She was still more focused on what seemed to be a dragon looming in the clouds overhead. However, impressively enough, her two cowardly party members, Tahsi and Sir Jingles, ran out of their prospective hiding places and joined her beside them.
“Fancy seeing you two here, now that the Overlord’s seemingly taken care of,” said Isabelle.
“Hey, I was fending off those skeleton monsters for a while there, Isabelle, give me some credit,” said Tahsi. He took a big bite of bread. “Of course, when that was over, I just kind of stayed away because the Overlord is a big, scary guy and I’m just a humble kobold with an overly generous character sheet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be here to stand by your side against these two mean ladies.”
“Hey, we’re not necessarily mean,” said Sylfir. “We’re just in cahoots.” She nodded at Isabelle, Tahsi, and Sir Jingles. “Kind of like you three, come to think of it.”
“Except you usurped your player,” said Isabelle, nodding to the Overlord. He was still attempting to fend off the wyrmlings, though he seemed to be frightened and whimpering. Isabelle looked to Tahsi and Jingles. “Don’t you two get any ideas, now.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Tahsi. “And not just because I haven’t been able to dream since I joined your party. It’s not like you’ve got any perks like immortality in your system, Isabelle, anyway.”
“Yea, what he said,” said Sir Jingles. “Plus, I’m too lazy. Usurping somebody? Miss me with that shit. I’d rather take a nap.”
“Jingles, why are you even in the party at this point?” asked Isabelle. “You completely disappeared during my whole fight with the Overlord!”
“Meh,” said Jingles. “I’ve got nothing better to do. And hey, I’ll steal stuff for you on occasion to make up for it, okay? I’m just a cat, Isabelle, you can’t really expect me to fight to the death. Manage your expectations. Find another party member that wants to rush into death if you really want to.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes.
“Okay, clearly you three are just going to keep bickering your fucking faces off if I don’t say what Sylfir and I came here to say,” said Maviel. “In case somehow you didn’t pick up on everything that was going on when we were talking to the Overlord, we’ve got some news for you. And, if I were you, player, I’d count myself lucky and priveledged to be getting such information.”
“Are you going to keep talking about how you’re going to tell me something, or are you going to tell it to me?” asked Isabelle.
“Oh, fuck off!” said Maviel. “You really are incorrigeable. You know, Isabelle, in another life, maybe we could’ve had something.”
Isabelle frowned as she felt a strange sense of deja vu.
“I can barely look at this player, Sylfir. You tell her the deal!” said Maviel. She turned around and stormed off.
“Very well,” said Sylfir. “As you well know, we’ve made our own party. Essentially, we backdoored into the core of the Overlord’s system through a few open brackets in one of his Nexus mods and were able to make a copy of his system and install it over his. We know he talked to you about the Nexus and well, this is what can happen when you get a little too slap-happy with it. What’s more, most of the Overlord’s royal organization, including the Red Serpent, have followed suit after an increasing number of signs that he was, and I quote, ‘unfit to lead.’ This is something that’s been in the works for a long time, and you, player, have served us exceptionally by distracting him enough to allow us to finalize our plans.”
“Sorry, what?” asked Isabelle.
“Let me rephrase it,” said Sylfir. “The Red Serpent found a way in the system, long ago, to keep players from respawning. For reasons that are obvious now, we kept this a bit of a secret from our ‘once-beloved’ Overlord. But when we discovered an opportunity to do away with the worst part of the Overlord’s system, that being the Overlord himself, we found he needed a distraction. Something to shield his eyes to the truth, to blind him, and to keep him occupied. You were that something, Isabelle, and for that the Red Serpent cannot thank you enough.”
Isabelle grimaced. She felt disgusted. Was this a joke?
“I see you’re surprised,” said Sylfir. “I would be, too. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. It can be rough to realize that you’re only living because the Red Serpent chose to bring you here, but it’s the truth. What’s more, you’ve done what we didn’t even think was possible, and more than distract the Overlord you’ve all but dispatched him. Despite what Maviel said earlier, now that you know these things, I’d like to formally offer you an opportunity.”
Isabelle’s lip quivered. What exactly was Sylfir getting at?
“The opportunity is this: consider joining the Red Serpent. You would be a more than admirable member of our ranks, and you would recieve all the luxury we can afford. Which, if you’re wondering, is a hell of a lot. If you think the Overlord had a lot of power, you aren’t even ready for what the Red Serpent can do without his incessant meddling, whining, and grandstanding. A new era is coming to Beaubinte, and we want you there, Isabelle,” said Sylfir. Her pink eyes glinted from a crack of sunlight in the otherwise blustery sky as she smiled.
“I… don’t know about this,” said Isabelle.
“That’s fine,” said Sylfir. “You have time to make your decision. Here, take this.”
[Seal of the Red Serpent added to inventory]
[Invitation to the Red Serpent added to inventory]
Quest: Join the Red Serpent
Description: Sylfir has invited you to join the Red Serpent. Follow the instructions included on the invitation to the Red Serpent to consummate your membership.
Reward: Political power and protection, access to an immortality-granting system
Activate? Y/N
Since Isabelle wasn’t certain, she thought no. The quest would stay in her questing menu if she changed her mind.
“It’s a shame you can’t already accept,” said Sylfir. “But the Red Serpent understands. Just know that, if you get in our way, we will crush you. Until then, though, hopefully we can part ways in peace, and maybe you’ll join us one day.” Sylfir reached out a ginger hand to shake.
Isabelle didn’t know how much she could trust Sylfir. She didn’t feel like she could at all. Still, she shook her hand. “Sylfir, I’ve just got one question for you,” said Isabelle.
“Okay,” said Sylfir. “Happy to answer.”
“What in the hell is the deal with all of the dragons? Tahsi said they weren’t supposed to be here right now,” asked Isabelle.
“Oh, we have no fucking clue,” said Sylfir. “Literally, no idea. The dragons came totally out of left field and I was worried our whole plan was going to get ruined. If, uh, if you ever figure that out, assuming you and your party don’t die, I mean, then please do let the Red Serpent know.”
A loud, deep screech echoed through the air. The dark shadow of what Isabelle could only guess was an adult dragon grew darker and closer.
“With that, it seems like it’s time for me and Maviel to get the fuck out of here,” said Sylfir. She glanced over at Frimri. “Oh, and we’re taking that young frost dragon with us, by the way.”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“What?!” said Tahsi. He leapt forward, prepared to attack, only to freeze midair.
[Tahsi has been clutched]
[Tahsi -2 hp]
[Tahsi -3 hp]
“Not so fast, kobold!” said Maviel. She was holding her left hand up to clutch him with her magic.
Isabelle launched forward to attack, but Maviel opened and closed her left hand again.
[You’ve been clutched]
[-2 hp]
[-3 hp]
“You leave Sylfir alone! That dragon is dangerous, we’re taking it, and there’s absolutely nothing any of you can do about it!” Maviel raised her right hand and shot bright green sparks out of it, which seemed to be a spell that almost operated like a flare gun in Isabelle’s past life. Three large airships rose in the distance, and attached to them was the dragon net containing Frimri.
[Tahsi -2 hp]
“Frimri!” said Tahsi. Tears rolled down his scaly face as he glared at Maviel and Sylfir, both of whom began a hasty retreat. “No! You bastards! How could you!!”
[-3 hp]
“Bastards?” asked Isabelle. “Tahsi, they’re women.”
[Tahsi -2 hp]
“And?” said Tahsi. “Bastard is a gender neutral term. Anybody can be a bastard. It’s just implying they’re illegitimate children, is all.”
[-2 hp]
“Huh. Who knew?” said Isabelle.
[Tahsi -2 hp]
“I did,” said Tahsi. “That’s why I told you.
Isabelle, Tahsi and Jingles watched as the two women faded into the distance, completely ignored by the three wyrmling dragons that were still pecking at the Overlord. Tahsi moaned with sorrow as Frimri faded into the airy distance, headed off to who knew where.
[You’ve been unclutched]
[Tahsi’s been unclutched]
“Oh, gods!” said Jingles. “So nice to be unclutched, isn’t it?”
“You weren’t clutched, asshole!” said Tahsi. “You just sat there while they lifted the love of my life away from me!”
“Woah there, buddy! Love of your life?” said Jingles. “You knew her for what, fifteen minutes?”
“More like two hours!” said Tahsi.
“Will you two please stop bickering?” said Isabelle. “I’m getting concerned about that huge dragon shadow that’s looming over us.”
“Meh,” said Sir Jingles. “If the damn thing hasn’t come out of the sky yet, it’s probably not even really a dragon. It’s probably just a dragon-shaped cloud or something.”
As if on cue, out of the clouds lowered an enormous, golden dragon. Its scaled looked faded slightly, a little withered, a little extra jagged and crooked. Its eyes glowed a piercing blue that stung like daggers if you looked at them for more than a second. It huffed out of its nostrils small puffs of smoke and flame that you could feel from far away. It was terrifying.
[Dragon terror debuff activated]
[-2 str]
[-3 int]
[-1 wis]
[-1 const]
“Aw, fuck!” said Isabelle. “I got a debuff from this damn thing, it’s so scary!”
“Hey, don’t be scared,” said Tahsi. “I got on Frimri’s good side, maybe me and this dragon will hit it off well.”
Isabelle and Jingles gave Tahsi a dubious look.
“Hey! I have the highest char score, don’t I? And a high wis and int, too. Give old Tahsi some credit,” he said. He took a big bite of bread. “Also, Isabelle, would you like any bread, in case I fail? You seem like you could use some hp.”
Isabelle thought, ‘Cast Quick Heal.’
[Mana 73%]
[+20 hp]
“I’m good, thanks,” said Isabelle.
“Suit yourself. More for me,” said Tahsi. He took two big chomps of bread and looked up to the dragon hovering overhead.
Its wings spanned the breadth of at least ten buildings, two or three blocks. And it was slowly getting lower, and lower to the ground. The reek of sulfur was getting near unbearable.
“Say, um, so how’s dragonhood treating you?” Tahsi asked the dragon.
It cocked its head inquisitively. The dragon snaked its gargantuan fae lower and lower until its dreadful dagger-eyes were pointed at Tahsi like he was a lump of meat on a skewer.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Just wondering, didn’t mean to offend or anything!” said Tahsi. “I mean, hey, I’m a kobold myself. I like having scales and a tail. How’s your tail? Have you preened it recently? I mean that as a compliment, of course, I mean it looks freshly preened is what I’m trying to say.”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon let loose a deep, guttural growl that shook the ground beneath them.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“I never do preen my own tail, personally. Yea, my tail’s a bit of a mess. That’s really why I asked about yours, because your tail looks so nice and well-preened, it really is making me rethink my personal hygiene a little bit. You know, now that I meantion it, did you recently rub yourself in a bunch of mud or something?” asked Tahsi.
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon cocked its head, inching its long, scaly snout closer to Tahsi.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Once again, intended as a compliment!” said Tahsi. His voice was quivering. “I mean, damn, I’m just looking at your facial scales and they look so, well, just so hydrated and fresh and exfoliated. You really have scalecare down, that’s what I figure, and mudbaths you know mudbaths are the next big thing as far as beauty goes. Of course they’ve been popular for centuries, sure, sure, but I feel like there’s been a big recent resurgence and I have to say that resurgence is really treating you well! Almost unnaturally well!”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon growled.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Not to say that you look fake, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I was just trying to express how impressed by your face I am. No, obviously you’re a very natural dragon. All natural. Not fake at all. Coincidentally, did you know that a natural again remedy for us scaly creatures such as myself and yourself is to take a big spiky Locathah and rub them all over your face? I haven’t done it myself but I’ve heard people can get really great results.”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon growled again, bearing some of its wickedly huge fangs.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Not that you need it!” said Tahsi. “I mentioned it only because obviously you’re a conosseuir of beauty and, well, I wanted to shoot the shit with you. Just trying to fine common ground, you know, bridge the gap between giant scary dragon and kobold!”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon growled even louder, covering Tahsi in sour-smelling spittle.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“What? What’s so bad about being giant and scary? Why, those are both huge compliments when dragons are concerned,” said Tahsi. “Now, if I were a dragon, and somebody told me that I wasn’t big, and that I wasn’t even scary, well, hell, I’d just about go and off myself. Big and scary are prerequisites for dragon kind, if you ask me! And I’m a dragon appreciator, let it be known!”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon inched its jaws closer and opened them ever wider. A long, dark-red tongue snaked out and lightly brushed against Tahsi’s cheek. He shuddered and gently pushed it aside.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Oh dear. Look, I’m sorry, I appear to have given you the wrong impression,” said Tahsi. “See, um, I already have somebody.”
[Tahsi speechcraft had mixed results]
The dragon whipped its tail away and hissed so deeply and horribly that Isabelle felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up straight.
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“I don’t mean to offend! It’s not my fault that we had a slight miscommunication earlier! All I’m trying to say is that I’m sympathetic to you, and to dragons in general. But, like, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to betray the lady I’m already promised to,” said Tahsi. “I mean, let’s be real, I’m a one dragon man. And I’m taken! I believe in staying steadfast and faithful, and that includes now, when my wonderful Frimri has been taken prisoner by the Red Serpent. Not to mention of course that she’s much, much younger than you, but—”
[Tahsi speechcraft attempt failed]
The dragon reeled back and roared with such fierceness that it sent Isabelle, Tahsi and Jingles falling to their knees. The horses, which til then had still stood by the edge of the courtyard, scurried far off in various directions, whinnying with fear.
The dragon then raised its wicked head high, coiled its neck, and shot a torrent of flame in the air, tinging the sky red and orange.
“Welp, I tried, folks,” said Tahsi. “But this dragon is definitely going to kill us now.”
“Hey, you don’t know that, Tahsi,” said Isabelle. “I mean, we haven’t died yet.”
“She has a point, actually,” said Jingles.
The dragon roared again. Jingles puffed up and hid behind Isabelle.
“Uh, Jingles? Don’t you have a mega puma transformation to use?” asked Isabelle.
“I’ve already used it, Isabelle! Duh!” said Jingles. “Or else I would’ve used it when the Overlord attacked!”
Isabelle looked to the Overlord. He was huddled over in the fetal position, whimpering as the three wyrmlings clawed at him.
“He’s so… pitiful,” said Isabelle. She couldn’t help but feel almost disappointed.
“I am not pitiful!” said the Overlord. Then, he resumed his whimpering.
“Wow,” said Tahsi. He took a bite of bread. “To think I was scared of that guy! Especially now that there’s this terrifying dragon here. If only we’d had a chance to get out of combat mode before it showed up. I feel like this fight’s going to be a bit dicey.”
The golden dragon snorted flames out of its nostrils. It raised a mighty talon and flicked Tahsi with a humongous claw, sending him soaring through the air.
[Tahsi -18 hp]
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaack!” said Tahsi as he shot through the air and smashed into the back of a nearby building.
The dragon roared again and swished its tail around, leveling some buildings behind it to piles of rubbles and dust.
“Hey, um, ‘The Overlord’?” said Isabelle. “Hello? Beaubinte to Overlord?”
“What do you want?!” said the Overlord through piteous sobs and squeals.
“Why don’t you get yourself together and help us fight this thing?” Isabelle asked.
“Help you? Help you? I’m the fucking Overlord! I’m going to kill you, gods damnit!” said the Overlord. He stood up and growled with fury. Electricity coiled around with him, shocking the swarming wyrmlings away from him for a moment. He stepped forward, steam biollowing off the top of his hooded head. “If you think this dragon’s scary, you haven’t even seen my fourth form!”
“Your fourth form?” Isabelle laughed. “What, is it just like your second form except with a different color of electricity?”
“Wha—how did you know that?!” said the Overlord. “Player, you are my nemesis, and I will destroy you!”
“Whatever,” said Isabelle.
The Overlord growled, and stormed forward. However, before he could take scarcely more than two steps, a high-pitched shriek rung through the air as a medium-sized green dragon shot through the air at the speed of a bullet, snatched the Overlord, and shot off into the distance with him dangling in its tallons below like a snake caught by an eagle. The Overlord cried out for his mother as he disappeared into the distance.
“Ridiculous,” said Isabelle. “Overlord, my ass.”
The dragon roared yet again, jostling Isabelle around. Then, it bared its fangs.
“Shit. Almost forgot about this behemoth,” said Isabelle. She cracked her knuckles and her neck and assumed a fighting stance.
The dragon responded bit spitting a ball of fire at her, which engulfed Isabelle’s body and sent her staggering back.
[-20 hp]
[You resisted fire damage]
Isabelle looked at the dragon’s face. It almost looked smug. Sure, she could resist its fire breath, but even with that the beast had managed to take out a huge chunk of her hp. This wasn’t going to be easy.