Zadarralomme awakens in unfamiliar surroundings. It appears to be a small, confined room with a door too small for her to enter or exit in her true form. She looks around. She’s alone in the room, and she inspects herself. She has no apparent injuries. Every one of her pearlescent white scales is intact.
Her heart aches for the other dragons. She’s not foolish enough to believe she had a dream. It was far too real, and she knows instinctively that she’s a prisoner right now, not least of the reasons being that she can’t detect any magic around herself or the world at large. She’s isolated.
That is, until a presence appears at the door.
She recoils a little. As before, she can’t detect a single trace of mana from him as he enters the room. He’s carrying his strange staff, held horizontally towards her. She recoils towards the back of her room a little on instinct. She, along with the other dragons, had lived for hundreds of years with no reason to fear. The only way humans and humankin have ever possessed to kill them requires armies and devastating amounts of offensive magic to try to harm them. Two dragons together would be undefeatable.
…
Normally.
Zadarralomme doesn’t understand, and that lack of understanding has instilled fear in her heart. He commands the Citadel, which means they had already lost when they arrived. The Dragon Lord was too quick to act because he believed the word of the little slave he sent to conquer the ancient Feldrok castle. And, entering just behind the Feldrok sorcerer is that very same little former slave girl, as well as a golem with a Feldrok’s natural head-shape. The fact that all three of them are entering means that Zadarralomme is completely helpless, or they would take more caution.
The human greets her in the Eastern language, “Good evening, majestic White Queen. Apologies if that’s not your actual title, but the only way Hekate knew to describe you was as a Queen. And, since, I’ve met the alleged Demon Queen, Vaergraes, I’ve had some suspicions confirmed. Before that, though, I’m Daniel. The girl you know is now known as Hekate. Show her due respect. And, this is our friend, Xyreko. For the time being, you’re our captive. I hoped we could talk.”
Zadarralomme hesitates, studying the three of them for a moment. She murmurs, “Well met, human. Forgive me, but we dragons do not give out our true names to non-dragons. You may refer to me as White or Pearl, and I will respond.”
“I see. You may change your mind after you hear what I have to offer.”
The dragon raises her head, holding her tongue. It’s rare for such a small being to speak so disrespectfully and directly to a dragon, but then, this tiny being is the first and only person in the world to slay the dragons single-handedly.
Daniel lifts his strange staff, and Zadarralomme flinches slightly, regretting showing such fear. Fortunately, he simply lays it over his shoulder, freeing up his left hand. “I have it on extremely good authority that no dragon eggs have been laid in decades. And, the last handful of dragons born over the last few centuries perished due to their own biology.”
Again, the Pearlescent Dragon can’t help but twitch. He knows more than he should somehow.
Is this the wisdom of the Citadel’s magic? Or, did one of the others confess? The girl… Hekate, should not have known…
“Were that true, hu-... Lord Daniel, what offer do you make?”
Daniel gestures at Xyreko, the golem, stating confidently, “My companion knows how to break the curse that was placed on all who came in physical contact with the traitor.”
As soon as she recoils, Daniel’s gaze narrows on the dragon. He has her completely cornered. He knows everything. He nods as if reading her mind. “That’s right, your Majesty. It was one last desperate grasp for life by a race yours tried to exterminate. A curse that he carried with him and passed on to all dragons he came in contact with. Including children. Now, lemme just take a stab in the dark at who that could have been… Hmmm… Big Red, the Dragon Lord.”
Zadarralomme looks away from him in shame. She advised against driving the Feldroks to extinction, but the Feral Feldrok prevented conquering the Citadel after all, and then the dragons couldn’t recover their population in the slightest. As if to spite his own kind, he didn’t listen, and Zadarralomme was relatively young at that time. He wouldn’t listen to her.
Regardless…
“I saw the males slain. Do you intend to breed us yourself, Lord Daniel?” She looks directly at him with the coldest gaze she can manage. She won’t be so easily…She flinches a little when she notices Hekate glaring hatefully at her, glancing nervously at Daniel in alternation.
“What is with people of this world? Listen, if there were literally no other options, it wouldn’t be off the table. But, I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll revive the male dragons.” At his statement about no other options, Hekate now glares at Daniel skeptically.
However, the significance of being willing to revive his enemies is not lost on Zadarralomme. Piecing it all together, she cocks her head. “In exchange for my servitude, you would cure this curse that we had never detected, and even be willing to revive a male to continue our species?”
Daniel confirms with a nod. “Or, you can rot away in this cell for the rest of your lifespan. Whichever you choose. But, the Demon Queen wants your help -that is, all of you dragons-, and I’m not keen on letting you wander around scheming to kill me. Otherwise, your will shall be your own.”
She ponders it for a long time. She can easily outlive the human, but if he binds her to Hekate or the golem…
“You seem hesitant. But, I assure you, I’m just a human, so you could outlive a contract with me, yes? Of course, by that time, Hekate will be more than safe from you, so I shouldn’t have to worry.”
“Y-... The contract would be with you? Not… your companions?”
“That’s right,” confirms Daniel. “Believe it or not, I’m probably the easiest one here to kill. Until my mission is complete, I can’t die. Or rather, I don’t want to. After that, there’s only so much I can do for the world as myself. So… What do you say? Spend the next sixty years or so bound to me only so you can’t kill me or harm anyone I care about in exchange for a future. Or, spend that future in here. For now, I’m the master of the Citadel. If I decide not to grant Vaergraes’s wishes, then there’s not a whole hell of a lot she can do. And, because she can’t track me through magic, she probably won’t be able to do anything about it if I keep you prisoner. But, if we work together, maybe we can accomplish something better.”
After another moment, Zadarralomme makes her decision.
She casts a simple spell, which puts all three of the others on guard, but she knows that there’s a barrier separating them. She knows because there’s no way they’d take even a small chance.
The spell she casts is simple, though. Her form becomes much smaller, and, similar to Hekate, drastically alters her true form. She steps out of the swirling mist and light of the transformation, standing much smaller, but on much more equal terms to those she will be working with.
“My name is Zadarralomme of the dragon clan. To actually pronounce my name in this language is impossible, but the name I just gave will serve the contract.” She bows. “Please… if you can save my race, I will help you however I can.”
Daniel says with a gentle tone, “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Xyreko steps forward, “Excellent. Then, this is where I step in.” She sets up storage bags and draws the ingredients from each of them, preparing the contract spell. Zadarralomme is hesitant, but it’s her only real option at this point. She needs to trust the human for now or face death. That much is certain.
***
As Xyreko sets up the contract spell around Zadarralomme, Daniel studies the almost-human that was once a humongous dragon before them. He’s not sure if she chose the specific form her ‘human’ form takes. Hekate now knows that she’s a Feldrok, but it seems she doesn’t know the spell to transform herself, nor does she want to. She seems to be just as powerful as she could be even in her tiny form, so she doesn’t care about the size and shape of her true form.
Where Hekate looks like a preteen girl, Zadarralomme would be what Daniel would define as a milf, and he doesn’t even like using or thinking that term in general. Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, Zadarralomme is truly beautiful, even though her apparent age is around mid thirties to mid forties. She has a well-endowed, but modest figure, shrouded by an elegant white and off-white dress that isn’t nearly as bulky or frilly as a Victorian-era dress, but maintains a similar conservative appeal of beauty.
Her curved, golden horns rise out of her shining-silvery amber-colored hair, and a smaller version of her scaly tail peeks out from the bottom of her dress. She carries the grace of a noblewoman with ease, and an impeccable and proud posture. Xyreko then instructs Daniel through the casting of the spell. He’s skeptical that it’ll work, due to his lack of magic, but Xyreko believes it will be fine, since the spell actually only affects the indentured servant. He just won’t have the additional perks of being able to magically sense where she is, command her telepathically, or know her general health subconsciously.
Once complete, a magic swirl passes around Zadarralomme, and she watches it idly, still standing by with her elegant posture. Afterwards, Daniel asks, “Did it work?”
Zadarralomme looks at Xyreko, who nods confidently. “Yes, Master.”
He watches the dragon woman, and she matches his gaze. She then looks down at her chest, opening her dress to reveal a symbol before he can look away. The symbol glows, but it has Daniel’s name written in the Imperial Common language; a magical tattoo or brand, of sorts. It’s actually a little embarrassing when he thinks about it, but it doesn’t matter. It’s just to ensure she can’t do anything to betray him.
Daniel approaches her, and she stares him down, asking, “What would you have me do, Master?”
“For starters, don’t call me ‘Master’, or ‘My Lord’. In fact, I order you only to address me as Daniel, please.”
She flinches a little, but she states, “A-As you wish, mm… Daniel. Are you certain though?”
He’s sure. “Yes.” He stops immediately in front of her. “Now, your next order is this; without hesitation, slap me as hard as you can.”
Her hand flies as she tries to ask, “M-Daniel, a-” Her own face twists in horror as she realizes she can’t stop it. Just before her hand makes contact with his face, her body is compelled to reduce the force, and her hand comes to rest gently on his cheek. She isn’t even able to forcibly push his cheek with her hand. She murmurs, “I… don’t understand.”
Daniel smirks. “Looks like I won’t be able to have any masochism play from you. Oh well.”
“M-Ma-Maso…what?”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t want you to have time to fake it. It seems you are in fact indentured to me, and you can’t harm me even a little.”
“I… don’t understand… That… wasn’t… as hard as I could…”
Xyreko explains, “Master had me prepare a hierarchy of orders within the core of the spell. You can’t harm a list of certain names of people, which are ingrained on the spell now, you can’t harm Daniel, unless doing so would protect that list of people from immediate harm, and you can’t raise your children with wicked intentions, but you can protect them. Any orders after that are superseded by these core commands.”
Suddenly, Hekate pounces onto Daniel’s back, slapping Zadarralomme’s hand off of his cheek as she clings to him. “Daniel is mine, though! So, stay away from him now!”
“I…”
Daniel pets Hekate’s head, which causes her to relax a little. “As you can probably guess, Hekate vouched for your relative kindness, which is why I offered you the best deal. Your orders will allow you to defend yourself from anyone but those I deemed in the contract, and you won’t be bound to someone who could live forever. The rest will also be indentured to Hekate as well, and to specifically protect Hekate for the rest of her life if she needs protection, as well as not be able to harm anyone at all, with exception of protecting Hekate. They will be less free than you are right now.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I… What of our children? Will we be…?”
“Hekate will take priority for everyone else. You’re the only one who doesn’t have to prioritize sacrificing yourself over your children, if and when they come to be.”
She bows again, surprising Daniel a little. “The cobalt blue dragon that was with me; please grant her the same mercies and freedoms you are granting me. She is my junior, but she was always the only other voice of reason and kindness I could rely on. I understand your circumstances for allowing us to continue to live, but she deserves freedom more than I.”
Daniel looks over his shoulder at Hekate, and the young girl nods, still hanging from his shoulders.
He smiles. “Very well. Hekate approves. I had a decent feeling about her anyways, which is why I only made you and her unconscious. So long as she’ll cooperate, she’ll get the same contract as you.”
Zadarralomme bows her head respectfully. “Thank you, m-Daniel.”
“Anything else?”
“Actually, if I may… Why is Xyreko allowed to refer to you as ‘Master’, but I am forbidden?”
“I figured you’d be the other way around and rather call me ‘Daniel’ out of disrespect.”
“No! No, it may be difficult to convince some that I am your subordinate if I refer to you as Daniel, and I may be accused of deception.”
“Your core orders don’t include ‘stand there and take it’. If anyone is bothering you, you have my permission to leave. Ideally while protecting our allies, but that’s not an order for now. Don’t abuse my trust is all I ask.”
She nods in agreement. “Very well. Then, may I ask that you prove to me this curse, and remove it as soon as possible, Daniel? I-... If possible… I’d prefer not to delay… W-With beginning the incubation…”
Daniel looks at Xyreko, who answers professionally. “Proving the curse is difficult, since it was specifically designed NOT to be detected by any means. However, proving when it’s gone should be decidedly LESS difficult, since your belly will bulge within a few weeks, and the egg or eggs laid in a couple months.”
The dragon flinches a little, and Hekate glares at her. “Y-... You’re certain?”
Xyreko gives a simple singular nod. “Indeed. In adults, it drastically reduces the chances of successful reproduction. In children, it drastically boosts the potency of their natural defenses, particularly venom. I think you know the rest.”
She nods solemnly, knowing very well the outcome of children and their high mortality rate.
Xyreko performs a few more procedures, and another golem enters the room. She accepts what Daniel recognizes as an autoinjector, approaching the dragon woman. She doesn’t warn or ask her, simply injecting the contents, causing Zadarralomme to flinch. She asks somewhat sternly, “What is that?”
“The cure to the curse."
"What? Where is the magic? Was it not a spell?"
Daniel realizes suddenly that the "curse" could merely be an infectious disease tailored specifically to dragons. This world -even with as advanced as the Citadel is- doesn’t fully understand the microscopic mechanisms of disease and infection.
Regardless, Zadarralomme stares at Xyreko, who says simply, “There. You’re cured.”
“... That’s… that’s it?”
“Yes. You had no idea you were cursed. Is it so surprising we would have an antidote?”
She returns to Daniel’s side, saying warmly, “You may be surprised to learn this, being a dragon and all, but Master Daniel defeated you without using magic.”
Zadarralomme stares at the golem caretaker in silence. Her gaze finally peels away to look at Daniel.
Trying to change the subject rather abruptly, Daniel states, “I understand your caution, and it’s probably in the best interest of everyone to continue to conceal your true name, now that the contract is done. But, I don’t feel like calling you something plain like ‘White’ or ‘Pearl’. Do you have any suggestions, Lady Dragon?”
She stares at him, still stuck on the revelation. “Is it true…? You… defeated us without magic?”
“No. Xyreko helped a lot. Anyways, about that name… Oh! How does ‘Ryuogriar’ sound? Loosely based on a… goddess. Ryuo for short, if you’ll allow it.”
The dragon woman blinks several times, still staring at him. “How…?”
Hekate asks innocently, “Is that another name from your world?”
Zadarralomme flinches. “Y-... Your… world?”
Daniel answers Hekate, but both of them receive an answer; “Yes.”
Xyreko puts her hands together happily, “Oh, Master! I so desire to continue learning from you!”
“You… were sent here by the gods…”
“I guess so. So, how does the name sound? May I call you Ryuogriar or Ryuo from now on?”
She flinches, fidgeting with her hands as she approaches Daniel. “Y-Yes. I will answer to that name. Thank you, my… Daniel.”
He nods warmly with a smile. “So. Let’s test that cure.”
Hekate flinches and grips his neck from her perch still hanging from his back. “Daniel!”
“What?”
Zadarralomme -now answering to the name Ryuogriar; Ryuo for short- finally smiles as she fully accepts the mysterious human before her for what he is. She murmurs tenderly, “Yes…”
***
Wenlianna watches as sprayers rain water down on fields thanks to the completion of the most recent pump design, utilizing a massive turbine to power a humongous pump, which sends water to one of the kingdom’s newest fields; in the Grand Duchy’s captured territory formerly belonging to Bromlund. Though conquest is forbidden under the alliance supervised by the Empire, because of Bromlund’s failures, and the immense amount of military and financial support the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy provided specifically, the Empire ceded control of the requested portion of the kingdom to the Grand Duchy. And, thanks to the alliance being renewed, the Kingdom has access to the gulf that Bromlund relatively dominated.
For a fee, of course.
Wenlianna’s desperate research and development have made her family immensely wealthy and even more powerful than they were before. Even more Stalvaltan Vanguards are being trained, and the population -and thus taxes- has been increased. Ignoring their mysterious secret ‘vein’ of diamonds, Aramellianna is more powerful than ever.
The problem is… Daniel is still missing in action. According to rumors that have reached Fort Peony, where Daniel was last officially in the Allied territories, he headed west, deep into the Demon Wildlands. Two soldiers from Fort Peony have gone to search for him and haven’t returned.
Aramellianna may have gained in the brief civil war, but she didn’t hesitate to do so when she thought Daniel could still be reclaimed. Now, he’s beyond their reach. All they can do is help his legacy live on and advance on a noble path in hopes that they can preserve the kingdom -or at least the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy- for him to return to.
And now, thanks to Daniel’s phone, which Wenlianna has worked tirelessly to decipher -only for herself, for fear of the weapons it could unleash-, water is being brought to fields formerly plagued by drought.
Additionally, even more remote places can receive water, thanks to the first ever proprietary magic devices that produce water nigh-continuously for years on end, unlike Gunther’s foolish experiment. Wenlianna’s world doesn’t have a way to analyze the crystals the way Daniel’s did, so there’s no way for anyone to reverse engineer her crystals -her diamonds-. Additionally, they’re being distributed through trusted contacts of Aramellianna’s, who only know that they are special crystals found in the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy that can be charged with any element. Now more powerful than ever, no one would dare try to invade to figure out where the crystals are coming from, giving the Grand Duchy a monopoly on ‘Enhanced Magic Crystals’, as their simple trade name is.
“Wenlianna.”
Wenlianna turns to find Aramellianna approaching with a couple of guards. They’re not in their own home right now, so it’s only natural for the Grand Duchess to have her personal guard at all times. However…
“Mother. Good mor-...”
“Where is your escort?”
Wenlianna sighs. “Mother, I…”
“You are my daughter, and quite possibly, the next Grand Duchess. Would you have all my effort be for naught?”
“I won’t be Grand Duchess if Daniel doesn’t return, Mother, so it’s a…”
“I am well aware of that, my darling daughter.” Aramellianna pulls Wenlianna into a rare hug, though this one is less affectionate and more possessive. “I have a trusted officer collecting volunteers.”
She’s learned not to resist the hug, so Wenlianna simply asks from her position of having her cheek mashed into Aramellianna’s chest, “Volunteers?”
“Yes. I will be sending a special operations unit west. Unofficially, of course. If I understand correctly, you have created some sort of new vessel, yes?”
Wenlianna hesitates. She admits softly, “I didn’t create it, Mother.”
The Grand Duchess finally relaxes her hold, looking into her eyes. “Very well. Have you built it?”
“In progress, Mother.”
“Good. Begin training the Captain of the squad to operate it.”
“M-Mother… I haven’t even tested the theory…”
“It will take time to train the operator as well. When the time comes, he can operate the test runs. I see no issue.”
Wenlianna sighs. “Yes, Mother.”
“Good. By the goddess, they’ll find Daniel unharmed and be able to bring him back without issue.”
Wenlianna smiles a little, nodding. “I… I’ll do it…”
“Good. Your fiance has made us all worry too much.”
“He’s not my fiance!” whines Wenlianna in futility. Daniel is the first person that she would actually consider marrying, but it’s certainly not official yet. She adds in a soft pout, “You… must really want me to become Grand Duchess, Mother…”
Aramellianna cups her right hand to Wenlianna’s cheek. She replies without a hint of irony or sarcasm, “Yes. And, if there is to be only one man in existence to make that possible, then retrieving him has no price limit.”
Wenlianna blushes. “Wh-... What if… What if he doesn’t want… to…?”
Aramellianna sighs. “My dearest Wenlie… You are a proud woman of the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy. It is your job to convince him. Failing that, coerce him. Failing that, imprison him. So long as you have someone who can give you an heir, you may become the Grand Duchess. I’ll overlook how you accomplish it.”
“M-M-Mother! I could never! I-... I’ll convince him to want to stay…”
Aramellianna grins. “Now, shift your priorities to the new vessel. The captain will meet with you tomorrow to begin his and his team's training. Train them well, Wenlianna.”
“I-I will do my best…” confirms the unsure Magic Artisan.
The only problem is… Wenlianna only knows the theory from Daniel’s descriptions and his documents hidden on his phone. Even he admitted he didn’t know how to fly, he only knew the basic principles for ‘airplanes’.
But, apparently, from a short flight of only 33 seconds, Daniel’s world was able to rise to the ability to make flights with hundreds of people across entire continents and even their world’s oceans, which are even wider than the gulf separating former-Bromlund from the Demon Wildlands. They’ll have to work safely and quickly to understand what Wenlianna has been working on so that the flight team can make it there and back without issues.
***
In terms of how the universe is built, magic is like paint. In some worlds, it was used to design strange phenomena in the world, but then ‘dried’, and left as is for the world to grow and evolve. Other worlds never needed any magic and function entirely without, ‘au naturale’, so to speak. And, in some worlds, the gods decided to experiment by leaving some of the paint in its useable form, allowing denizens of that world to use it and see how it shapes the evolution and growth of that world.
In all cases, unique scenarios arise that please the gods and goddesses watching over the worlds. Watching over life and their other creations as they evolve and grow together is the truest joy of the divine. Sometimes, they have to intervene, but typically, the worlds rise and fall in a natural progression, and the gods and goddesses get to enjoy the growth of their creations.
That said, magic is a power directly drawn from the Divine Realm; cans of paint left behind when forming the world, intentionally, but still possessing the divine blessings within.
As such, with enough concentrated magic power, even the gods become vulnerable in such a world where that kind of concentration has congregated.
Daniel left no apparent trail. From everything they’ve gathered, he was travelling alone. And, they were already weeks behind. They haven’t heard or identified the sound they heard from the mountaintop, and the surroundings are even more dangerous than anywhere else his apparent trail has led.
Ryukana stands on a bluff overlooking a castle in this world that stands as a seeming defiance of the gods. Daniel can’t be found because he has no magic, so his presence is buried under all of the magic of this world, like listening for the heartbeat of a mouse while surrounded by elephants, or even more apt, looking for the footprints of a cat in a world full of lions. He left a very minimal trail to begin with, so even traditional methods of tracking are struggling to find him.
And, what little trail they could follow has led into eyesight of the most dangerous thing in this world.
A castle that looks large even from miles away. Ryukana has been watching over this world for millennia, and to think living beings could build something so truly magnificent. She can’t even truly perceive the castle’s full existence, thanks to the massive amount of concentrated magic and divine energy ingrained in the castle’s structure. She can tell, that even if she tried to erase this world, the castle would remain. It has accumulated a massive amount of energy.
And, because it’s a threat to her if it has offensive capabilities, or its owners are hostile to the gods, she has to be extremely cautious, especially being present in the world itself as she is.
She can feel their presences appear behind her, kneeling as always. “My Lady Goddess…”
She sighs, turning to face the Observers. “No luck?”
“None, my Lady Goddess. There are no signs or rumors of a human in the towns and villages surrounding the castle. However, there are rumors that the dragons managed to conquer the castle, as it had stood dormant until very recently.”
Ryukana runs through options. It’s not impossible that Daniel could still be alive, since no one else would likely be able to detect him via magic. Of course, even normal fauna of this world and some of the flora are dangerous to Daniel. If he figured out some way to defend himself, there’s no way he’d be safe around the castle if the dragons are the ones who conquered it.
THe problem is that he could be anywhere with the starting assumption that he’s still alive; a random spot in the forest camping, a disguise he made to look like a denizen of the world, or on a road already far past the castle. Just because the people the Observers were able to ask hadn’t seen him, that doesn’t mean he didn’t pass through any of the towns or villages.
As she’s thinking, though, Gabriel offers, “My Lady Goddess, would it be beneficial to speak to the Demon Queen of this world? If she understands he’s not a threat, maybe concessions can be made…”
“No. If she comprehends that he is a summoned being, she’ll likely not believe he is no threat AND be alerted to his existence." She suddenly looks in a seemingly ambiguous direction towards the forest break where a creek flows down into the deep dale in which the giant castle is tucked. They aren’t Daniel, but unlike him, they belong in this world. In direct and surprising contrast, where they don’t belong, being a couple of Gatonine women, is this deep in demon territory alone.
***