Tribulations of a Dragon

The town square fills with laughter, and some folks have taken it upon themselves to be managers, ensuring that all the kids present get a chance to slide down my wings. There are even whispers of this being an opportunity to earn money as people discuss opening stalls. Ooh! I can share the glory of Stall Day with Esfjord!

Nudging the now frightened person talking about money, I bring up food stalls and how good an idea it would be. They could be selling breakfast to all these hungry people and, more importantly, feeding me! His partner seems far more interested in my idea than the guy I nudged, but with some encouragement, they scamper off. I hope they do end up bringing food.

Dang it, now I've got food on my mind. And I don't smell any sneaky undead to munch on, leaving me in quite the predicament. I can either interrupt the wing slides and go find something or take a nap.

Taking a nap sounds amazing, especially if I make someone else responsible for waking me up when the food shows up. Nudging a nearby guy, I tell him to do just that, garnering him a lot of attention from those around him. Nevertheless, that's that taken care of, and now I can have a snooze! Moving to lie my head down causes the area under me to clear out and make room, and with a little shuffling, the cobblestone under me gives way to the comfortable, soft dirt.

--------------

"Are you sure it's wise to wake the Dragon? The saying says to let sleeping Dragons lie, lest they scorch the realm."

"You think the better choice is to shirk your duty? Given to you by the same Dragon?"

More importantly than those two knuckleheads' discussion is that I hear music! And I smell food! Looking up at the sky reveals the time to be just past noon, leaving plenty of day left to scrounge up some treats. Sounds of boots hitting wood come from both sides of me, and inspecting the source reveals the wing managers in the process of climbing down with a few kids.

With everyone cleared out, I have a chance to stretch and it feels good... Geez, I love stretching. Although the yawn accompanying it seems to have frightened a few folks, as evidenced by the scent of fear, I don't see anyone running away, so I'll call it progress.

Music! Folding up my wings, I follow the glorious tones of string instruments, one in particular stands out. It's easy enough to spot the group of five musicians, since everyone is so tiny, and there is a hurdy-gurdy! The best instrument! And it's being played by a pale-skinned elven woman wearing a loose green dress.

Getting up, I move toward the group, but that seems to cause a disruption to the music. The musicians become quiet as I step over tents and wagons to approach them. The scents of delicious food can wait until we get the music going again. As I move, the risk of squishing people seems to be non-existent as I move slowly, giving them time to move away. And as a result, I have a direct path to the group!

Even as I reach them, they're quiet, leaving me no choice but to nudge the elven lead singer and encourage her to play her hurdy-gurdy some more. They've set up a makeshift stage for their performance, leaving me plenty of space to lie behind them.

As I lie down, the lead singer brushes away her red hair and looks up at me with a glint of mischief in her eyes. With a signal for her compatriots, she begins singing about gathering people to defeat a dragon! The audacity! And some nonsense about dragons bringing misfortune! They're wildly misinformed!

The lyrics continue to mention bringing warriors to the beast's cave to bind it. That's not only trespassing, but it's extremely rude, and we better start hearing about the dragon's side in this story soon. It's sounding very one-sided so far.

In a twist, a male singer takes over, some gruff-looking human, and his lyrics cover the innocent nature of dragons and how we can be nice. Ooh! A duet! And mentions of feasting! They get it! Points to... I want to ask what her name is, but they're still singing, so it'd be rude to interrupt.

I expected the song about gathering soldiers to fight a dragon to involve more fighting, but it turns out to be about making friends and sharing meals. That's a song I can get behind.

As they finish up the song, I nudge the elven singer and ask what her name is. Unfortunately, my nudge causes her to jump, leading me to believe that I lucked out with Joras not being afraid of me. Almost every other elf seems to be. Wait, wasn't Joras afraid of me? Dang it, I think he was, he just wanted something! That rascally elf!

"Warm greetings, Great Dragon. Pardon my emotional outburst, I intend not to offend your keen senses. In these lands, I have chosen the name Buch. Though I might offend, I mean no malice, as I refuse to reveal my true name."

I'm not sure why that would offend me, stage names make sense. Nevertheless, I tell her that I liked the song and, if they're up for it, I'd like to hear more. It's tempting to ask folks to donate more to such a lovely band, but I get the impression that they'd do it because of my imposing height rather than the talented musicians.

Buch's demeanor changes as she starts waving her hands around, as if manipulating something in the air. That has to be magic, and activating my magic eyes, I take a look. I'm right! She's doing some sort of weaving with the magic flowing from me. The more she plays with the almost gaseous magic, the brighter her smile becomes.

Of all the things I expected to happen, her inhaling the magic wasn't one of them. She leans forward and sucks in the woven magic she has created, causing her to gain a soft glow.

"What was that?"

"Oh! My pardons! I did not seek permission and for that, I apologize."

Leverage! But she didn't really answer me. As I point out that she didn't answer me, she comes up with another apologetic non-answer. I'm getting the impression that she doesn't want to answer, but it's not causing me any injury, so I'm sure it's fine.

"I believe the least you can do is sing another song for your transgressions, Buch."

Her fear dissipates a little as she readies her instrument and tells the others to start playing. I have no idea what the lyrics are for this one, but it sounds magical, emphasized by the male singer dancing with the elven singer. The two step farther and farther away from each other, and magic begins swirling around the guy before a cloud obscures his body.

The scent changes as the magic dissipates, and a large brown wolf jumps out and begins stalking the singer. The music continues as she approaches the wolf, and the two of them begin dancing around each other again in a sort of chase. Another cloud forms behind them as they dance, and the wolf disappears into it, only to emerge as the singer again.

The dance continues as she plays her hurdy-gurdy, green dress swirling to match her enthusiasm. Joras mentioned something about aloof elves and some other warlike elves, what was it... His type of elf was aloof and arrogant, and the... Coille Cridhe elves were the other ones he mentioned! I remember now! Lily is some other type of elf, but this one doesn't look like either Lily or Joras.

"Are you from Coille Cridhe?"

So one thing is immediately clear: she did not like that question. The music stopped and she smells terrified... Dang it, I need to work on my social skills, as it turns out. Admittedly, I could have waited for them to finish the song.

"I am not! I have no business with those murderers! I do not wish to be reminded of that tribe, should the Gods will it that I may avoid it."

So it sounds like I definitely killed the mood.

"She's a wood killer?! The Dragon revealed her evil nature!"

Oh, that's worse than I thought, I outed someone... Well, only one thing to do. Getting up, I cover her with my head as I make eye contact with the shouting jerk and growl. The best I can do is declare that I won't tolerate any harmful actions directed at her or her band, but I've definitely hurt her earning potential...

The smell of urine fills the area as I lie back down, and hopefully, that indicates a change of heart for anyone who would try to make a fuss over my mistake.

Turning my sight to someone else, I ask if they can bring over some treats, and several people leave the area. I don't think looking at someone is specific enough at my size. Well, I hope all eight of the people who left bring back food. I know it makes me feel better, so maybe it will make Buch feel better as well.

"Why do you prolong my torment, dragon?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was a sore subject. I'll make sure not to mention it again."

My apology isn't good enough if her expression is anything to go by. Her face turns into a frown as she stares up at me. I know I screwed up, but I can't really do anything other than apologize. Putting down the hurdy-gurdy and pulling her dress up to her knees, she runs toward me, jumping onto my arm and using that to jump again, grabbing hold of one of my spikes. I didn't consent to climbing!

"We must speak of this matter. Fly us away from here."

Well, I'm doing it because I'm curious, not because she told me to! Getting up, I spread my wings and leave behind the incoming snacks. Flying west seems good enough, we can head for Fenja's forest and have some quiet, since Fenja likes to chase people out of there.

Passing over the stone wall leads us to the grassy fields bordering the forest. Flying low lets us land without much noise, and the soft soil gives way for my toesies. As I go to lie down, Buch jumps down and walks around to face me.

"My magic hides my tribe signs from the sight of magic, how did you know me?"

"I guessed. What are tribe signs?"

She squints her eyes at my question, but I think it's a good question. Instead of responding, she casts a spell, causing magic to cover her. As it fades, her skin covered in tattoos is revealed. Ooh! Illusion magic of some sort! I wonder if the wolf was illusion magic as well. Perhaps that's her elven talent, like Joras' blood magic. I could see that working very well as a performer.

"These! How could a dragon not know? Our kin have sought strife for centuries!"

Buch gestures to her tattoos, but I don't feel like it's fair to expect me to know. And I most certainly don't know about some elf-on-dragon violence.

"If we're enemies, isn't it kinda stupid to play music so close to me? And great music at that. What was that second song about? And what was that magic sucking? And if we're supposed to be fighting, does that mean you're gonna attack me? I have a track record with attackers, and they usually get eaten."

"By Maerliark's wisdom, such a torrent of questions... I wish for no such thing, and I bear no ill will toward you. Should we part in peace, my heartwood will sing praises for the blessing. You truly do not know of our gift?"

I'm gonna have to tell Joras off for not warning me about this tribe of elves being so aggressive and fighting dragons. That's crucial information, Joras! For now, I'll turn my focus back to Buch.

"I really don't know, but I'd like to learn about it."

She seems stuck switching between confused pondering and soft glaring as her eyes stay glued to me. I'm not that confusing, dang it!

"Much like dragons, those of the Coille Cridhe may sustain themselves through magic. We covet what belongs to dragons, as dragons covet that which we hold. The greed of both led to conflict. I did not wish to take part in such barbarity. You truly do not wish to harm me?"

Geez, other dragons really need to work on their public image. It's horrible! And I keep being accused of being violent because of it. Obviously, I don't want to hurt her, but she still hasn't told me what the second song is about. Nudging her about it causes her expression to become a confused glare, which is a sort of progress.

Turns out the song is called 'Fear' and tells the story of a young woman seeking out a guy who turns out to be a wolf! Okay, I could have deduced that from the theatrics... It was a good song, though!

"You are strange..."

"Says the warrior elf who doesn't want to fight."

She almost says something to me, but turns her head down instead and mumbles something I don't understand. The chuckle following it makes me think she's making fun of me, but I can't prove it. So she gets a puff of smoke!

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Which she inhales... Right, magic eater.

"Such rich magic. The sensation brings to mind the image of an oasis amidst a desert, quenching thirst after decades of wandering through drought. I am thoroughly sated... I thank you, dragon."

Dang it! She's immune to my punishment! I'll have to come up with something clever to get back at her if we end up meeting again. That's for later, though. For now, I want to get back to those snacks and enjoy some more music since her mood seems to have improved.

"And my name is Kira. Not Dragon. Not Kiranot the Dragon, or Justkira. It's Kira."

"Oh, you must have met Korfarrakir the Endless. Their mannerisms do leave much to be desired, yet their trust in you leaves me a fool to hold onto my misgivings, Kira."

Buch makes it tempting to name-drop more often, especially if Skelly's oddity was enough to change her opinion of me. But I'd also be affected by their relationships, which means I need to learn more about the world.

"Wait, how do you know Skelly trusts me?"

"You are alive."

Well, that's not at all ominous. I'm pretty sure Skelly told me that I'd win a fight, and that's why they didn't attack me. Nudging Buch about it, she giggles and tells me to change my concept of victory. According to her, necromancers think of victory and defeat in terms of losses to their forces. And I'd take out a lot of Skelly's forces before going down, weakening the army of the dead, but my corpse wouldn't necessarily make up for the losses. I take offense to that! My corpse would make an impressive minion!

"Trust a dragon to be offended that their corpse might not be desecrated. A being of pride to the end."

This is no laughing matter! I'd be such a good minion for an army of the dead! I'll have to take that up with Skelly next time we meet. I'm sure Skelly will set the record straight.

Enough of this whole dismissing my potential thing. We're heading back to Esfjord! I barely stop myself from picking her up with my tongue, but if she uses magic to live, my venom might actually be toxic to her, rather than just a major inconvenience. Instead, I turn my head sideways and tell her to grab onto my horn. She does so, and I lift her up before taking off. I feel pretty good about our encounter, even if she thought I wanted to kill her. She's the first musician to play the hurdy-gurdy I've met, so for all I know, they're quite rare and precious.

At least we're still close to town, so I might still catch the people I sent for treats before they assume I'm gone. The lack of arrows from passing over the wall will never stop being appreciated. Spotting the makeshift stage, the place looks ready for me to land, and the musicians are still playing. And there are treats! Yush!

As I land, the thump makes the musicians miss their notes, but they're professionals and quickly resume playing! Letting Buch down, she picks up her hurdy-gurdy again and joins them while smiling at me. I'm pretty sure I just secured a band for Tuiran! And I'll have to prod Elder Turo about paying them extra for screwing with their public image.

For now, though, treats! The folks I sent for them have brought small tables for the snacks to be displayed on. There's an assortment of goodies, ranging from bowls of soup to skewers of veggies! I want it all! And I'm starting with some veggies because I'm responsible!

Leaning toward the table as Buch and her band play another song, I extend my tongue to poke a lone skewer. There's a bell pepper-looking fruit on there as well, and they didn't cut it up, leading me to think it might be stuffed! I hope the surface tension or viscosity of my saliva is enough to lift it, and as I try, I'm proven right! The taste of spices and slightly burnt hits my taste buds in a glorious symphony of flavor!

Squishing the bell pepper triggers a secondary explosion of flavor! It was stuffed and there's a slight tingle of heat going on alongside a blast of sweetness. I have to try more! And the soup beckons!

Going in for the slurp, I lower my face to a tiny bowl and... inhale it... Okay, so I can't quite slurp something so small, but the wooden bowl adds a delightful crunch to the dish. It mixes quite well with the soft, creamy texture of whatever soup that is. A delightfully earthy flavor with a smidge of grass and slightly bitter. I like it! It has my approval!

I need to try some of that bread! Curses! I can't dunk it in soup because it's so dang small! I need giant bread along with a giant bowl of soup. Raya's tiny hands would be great right about now.

"Yer lookin' sour, y'overgrown lizard."

"Of course I am, you stubblerock! Look at these tiny portions!"

Dang Raya must have shared the secret of teasing me with Foreman... He's so getting kidnapped for his transgressions.

"Aye. Topsiders don't 'ave knowledge of dragon feedin'. Lemme help ya."

We might be disrupting the music a little, but Foreman has excellent bread-dunking form, letting it soak just enough to not become soggy. As he pulls it out of the soup, he throws the chunk of bread to me, and it is so good. The bread has a firmness to it, making it perfect for dunking, creating a glorious mixed flavor of broth and wheat bread.

"Foreman, I want you to come to Tuiran and build things to help improve the quality of life for my people."

"Heard tell o'that. I shouldnae say, but yer keepin' me safe 'ere wit' yer talk o'stealin' me away. Guards keepin' distance t'not piss yer off. Nobles're 'fraid o' th'same. Fuckers ain't riskin' finin' me for me lads blowin' up a fuckin' guardhouse!"

Oh, that sounds good. But he seems to be taking a little too much satisfaction in being untouchable, given that the rascal is struggling to stay upright. He's getting a lot of stares because of the boisterous laughter disrupting Buch's music. He's slapping the table, and I have to act quickly to prevent him from knocking over my other soup bowls.

There are four left, and leaning down, I slurp up another crunchy bowl. Tomato soup this time! But I don't have time to enjoy it, I must save the last three bowls! Using my keen dragon senses, I predict Foreman's movements, and he's about to bonk the bowl of creamy asparagus-smelling soup! With my quick reflexes, I nudge him out of the way and slurp up the deliciousness!

I have very little time to act! I must save the remaining two bowls! From the smell of the next bowl, I suspect it is some variation of potato chowder. It's decorated with herbs and it smells incredible. I must have it! Bringing my lips to the bowl, I whip my tongue out to scoop it up. And my hard-earned skills prove useful once more as I masterfully enjoy the potato chowder.

The time has come for the final bowl! Foreman is still laughing, but he's trying to stand up, using the table as leverage. The threat to my soup has never been more significant! And it's very red! Which means beets. Glorious beets. The scent suggests a slight sourness to the soup, and it's chunky.

Before Foreman has a chance to knock it over, I eat the bowl, letting the taste of beets, onions, and fresh herbs wash over my taste buds. I need these recipes.

I did it! I saved all the soup from the malicious madness of Foreman and his table-slapping ways. And with the danger diminished, the lack of music becomes apparent. Looking back at Buch, it becomes clear that the band's attention is on us.

"Though I do appreciate merriment as we perform, I would request that you limit the noise so as not to deafen the audience."

With a dismissive bah and a wave of his hands, Foreman returns to my food table and grabs a skewer to chomp on while Buch begins playing again. Foreman was definitely being too loud. And he's stealing more skewers! Leaning my head down to him, I snake out my tongue and steal it back.

"Oi! 'Twas mine, y'overgrown lizard!"

Opening my mouth to show the skewer sitting on my tongue, I dare him to grab it. The crazy bastard actually tries! Grabbing hold of my teeth, he begins pulling himself up, causing me to pull my head back to avoid this unreasonable attack. With a quick swallow, I expertly prevent a costly loss in nourishment.

While I'm distracted, he snags the last treat from the table, munching on it with a vengeance and mocking me with sounds of how delicious it is. He's a worthy foe... Finishing off his treat, he looks me right in the eyes as he declares himself victorious. I disagree with his declaration, but we don't have a referee to take my side.

"Foreman, how do you plan to travel to Tuiran?"

He starts explaining that he'll have to travel northeast toward a pass in the mountains and meet up with his people. That sounds like a lot of work, considering he knows a dragon. I'll just carry him along with Raya and Lauren. And Doc. We should visit Doc.

Nudging Foreman about it, he shrugs and grunts something about being up for an adventure while implying some nonsense about getting into trouble. As I lower my head, I tell him to climb on. He seems unsure of how to do it, leaving me curious since he knows so much about dragons. Horn method it is.

With him seated behind my horns, we're ready to go find Doc. Stepping over the folks around us, along with stalls selling trinkets and food, we head for the alchemist's quarter.

"Buch! Remember to visit Tuiran!"

"I shall!"

Excellent. That's the last of our business in the square. As we move, the thief birdsong returns, and they're definitely signaling my position. Dang rascals. I wanted to find them on my own, but Lauren ruined that adventure by revealing their presence.

"Kira, meet us by the west gate."

"Are you being informed by the thieves? I just started moving."

"I am, yes. They've been helpful in letting us know where you are."

Dang thieves! Well, that does mean we get to fly instead. Spreading my wings, we take off with a shout of excitement from Foreman. Well, scream, but that's basically the same. The west gate isn't far, and there's grass on both sides of it, so I don't have to damage the road.

With scents of smoke and cooking food behind us, we set course for the west gate and, proving that flying is incredible, we made it there in barely any time at all. Circling around, we land near Lauren, Raya, and Doc. They've already fetched him! Now I just need to reprimand Lauren...

"Lauren! You spoiled an adventure! Think of all the exploring I could have done trying to sniff out the thieves."

"I'm aware, and I'm sorry, but it was necessary. How do you think your encounter would go? They're secretive and keep to themselves. They don't like being found."

"We would have been friends and shared stories."

"Or would they have attacked, forcing you to retaliate?"

Okay, yeah, that might have been a possibility...

"More importantly, hello, Doc! How are you doing?"

He's wearing his full plague doctor outfit, with heavy boots somewhat hidden behind a thick leather longcoat. I can't smell him, but he must be sweaty under that. Or maybe it has some sort of enchantment to prevent overheating.

"Oh! Quite well! The prospect of being kidnapped fills me with excitement! It is a most unusual method of travel, not that I have much familiarity with travel. The Guild has been quite hospitable, given my predicament, yet I did not see much save my house. I shan't complain. The housing offered was sufficient several times over, leaving me with tremendous amounts of space for my alchemical studies. Your cleric pet mentioned an interest in the benevolent potential of plague magic, yet I fear I cannot help at this time. My efforts have been limited to limiting the outbreaks rather than causing them."

I forgot that he can be a little rambly. He'll fit right in!

"Ooh! Lauren, I found a band. We get to have musicians visiting Tuiran, and one of them is playing a hurdy-gurdy."

"I have no idea what that is..."

Looking at Raya, she shakes her head, so she doesn't know either. I can't give Foreman a look, since he's on top of me, but Doc shrugs at me the moment I look at him. That means it's time for an explanation! It's a sort of bulky string instrument with a hand crank attached. To play it, you have to-

"Oh! A turning lyre. A fabulous piece of mechanical mastery. The strings may be strengthened through alchemical means, though one must be careful. Strengthen the strings when they are improperly tuned, and the resulting sounds are no more than noise. A favored instrument of elves, as they have the years to learn both to create the instrument and to play it."

For a shut-in, Doc sure gives me the impression that he knows a lot. His ranting continues into the territory of string maintenance and how to create a lacquer to treat the wood. He's definitely happy about the opportunity to leave Esfjord behind. Lowering my head to the ground, I tell Lauren and Raya to help Doc on. The three of them join an uncomfortable Foreman as we prepare to leave.

Interrupting his own rant, Doc asks about provisions, but we'll be home before tomorrow, and if not, I can hunt for us. It won't be a problem. Oh! The book! The cat book! I forgot about the cat book in the main felifolk village!

"Raya, how did it go with the fungus monster in the Felifolk village?"

"I didn't find it. It was underground somewhere, and I can't dig like you can."

Well, that's a problem. We can't just leave something like that to become a problem again. Good thing we have errands to run, so we don't look irresponsible by leaving such a mess behind. With a flex of my wings, we take to the sky and head for the rope-laden village of felifolk.

The merchant road beneath us passes by quick as we rush toward the maybe-re-disastered village. We definitely need to take out that fungus before leaving, and I remember its hiding spot.

We approach the fields of beets and other, less important crops on our approach. The cute fuzzy people in the fields don't shy away from us. Strengthening my magic eyes, I can tell that the tendrils of fungal magic aren't present. So that's a good thing.

And it means we can head directly toward the source of the fungus. The town of wattle-and-daub houses, with an emphasis on wood and rope, comes into view. Flying above, we aim for the square, and-

"Themar!"

I know that voice! It's the mysterious snugglebug who slept on me without asking for permission. She knows we're here, so I'm sure she'll follow us to the square. As it comes into view, it looks remarkably deserted, which is perfect for a landing. I'll have to chomp some rope before I can leave again, but that's the cost of doing business.

With a thump, we land, and Raya is quick to help Doc get his bearings as I lower my head for them to climb down. It's remarkable how different people feel when they sit on you, but I can definitely tell them apart.

Lauren manages to get Foreman to let go and climb down as I begin to dig into the soil. The place smells like stale magic, but not the gross kind, like vile steel. It's more like it just doesn't belong here. The hardened soil gives way without much effort as my talons carve away at the dirt. The hole feels shallow as I hit a chamber hidden beneath the square, but the smell of rot makes it obvious that I'm in the right place.

Gross tentacles strike at me, and it's tempting to light the place on fire, but I can't shake the feeling that this critter might be intelligent enough to understand us. My thoughts are interrupted by a sharp pain as one of the tentacles sharpens and thrusts into my arm, penetrating my scales. I forgot to freakin' reinforce them!

Remedying that error leaves me in a much stronger position, as I feel my magic spreading throughout my body.

"Oi! Kira! Fuckin' burn th' fucker! Issa magic eatin' beastie!"

Well, Foreman does know a lot about a lot, so I'm gonna trust him. My hesitation while listening to him results in another tentacle skewering my arm, aiming for the same wound left by the previous one. Focusing my magic into my belch sac, I fill the chamber with fire. The sounds of popping and roaring flames, along with the fire blasting right back into my face, suggest that it's working.

It's moments like this where I appreciate not having hair because I would definitely have burnt it away from this miscalculation... And the worst part is that I knew it would happen... At least it doesn't hurt all that much, it startled me more than anything, but I'm fine.

Crap, I have to check on the others. If they were standing close by, they could have been hit by the flames. Tugging my wings in as well as I can, I crawl backwards and out of the hole. It's not deep enough for me to need to tug my wings, as it turns out, but better safe than sorry.

Looking around, I see a few scorch marks on buildings matching the trajectory of the flames, but I don't smell any cooking meat and there aren't any rampaging flames. The pile of dirt I left from the hole sparkles with small crystal formations, and my friends pop up from behind it. Phew, they're safe...

"Is it dead?"

In response to Raya's question, Foreman speaks up, explaining that it was a monster from the underground and that they're vulnerable to fire, especially dragon's fire. Which is how dragons manage to capture large underground lairs. Just burn everything standing in your way and claim the rest for your hoard.

"Themar!"

Before I get a chance to turn around to face the shouting cat lady, I feel her climbing up my tail and running along my spine. Reaching my head, she jumps and lands on top of my muzzle, spreading her arms out and hugging me with all her might while purring. I have no idea why she likes me so much, Raya did all the work to help these people.

Well, if she clings to me like that, she's joining us for our trip back home to Tuiran! After reading that dang book!