Tribulations of a Dragon

Okay! Conundrum. How do I ask for a book owned by people who can't understand me? Racking my brain for a solution is a waste of time when the answer is staring right at me.

"Raya, stop staring at me. We need to find that book the felifolk had. I'm sure we can learn some useful stuff from it."

Oh crap! Getting a good look around, I spot Lauren helping Doc stand. He's breathing heavily and struggling with the heavy plague doctor outfit that is restricting him. We'll need to find some way for him to get his magic under control so he can wear it as a fashion statement instead of a necessity. Nudging him and almost causing him to fall again, I ask if he's okay.

"Pardon the infirmity... The beast below bellowed a disease threatening to infect us. I am not familiar with the nature of it, yet I felt it grow in power as it crept closer. The effort to push through my equipment has proven a task for which I was ill-prepared, and, admittedly, I welcome a rest."

Oh, well, if he's keeping us safe from a disease, then he deserves a rest.

"Aye, veiners. Nasty critters... Settin' up nests in mineshafts, stealin' folks t'drain dry of magic, leavin' husks t'haunt the claims. Worse than Dragons..."

Of course they're worse than dragons. Dragons are great! Wait, I'm focusing on the wrong thing. If Doc can counteract the fungal spores exuded by the abduction fungus, then he might be able to control other microbial things in a nonviolent manner. Which means... he could become the master of all fermented foods!

I have been shortsighted by thinking about bio-enhanced fighters when we could have tofu! That's definitely the best use of Doc's skills. Especially if we can diversify into fermented fruits or some sort of specialized regional cheese. Unfortunately, my brilliant thoughts are interrupted by hissing from my nose.

"Kira, make her stop! She's batting away the rocks I threw to get your attention!"

I might have to look into making this cat person a permanent resident of my muzzle. She's already proving useful. We just need to teach her our language... Languages. We have so many things to do with language, and when we get this book, Raya can start learning mine without me having to write too much! I am not up for the challenge of learning penmanship with these glorious claws. I'd need a huge pencil.

Drawing my attention back to the situation at claw, we need to find some people. This town doesn't seem to have anyone other than Cuddles the Face Cat. I guess it makes sense, given that we haven't defeated the threat until now. Thinking of Cuddles, she's still batting away rocks from an increasingly annoyed Raya. I should intervene before rocks become fireballs.

"What's going on, Raya?"

My question causes her to look confused as she drops a small rock on the ground. There's a distinct air of frustration coming from my tiny goblin as she turns her back to me and sits down. Nudging her, I ask again since I want to know and I didn't mean to ignore her.

"I forgot! She wouldn't let me get your attention, so I forgot!"

I don't need Raya to have mood eyes to determine that the problem isn't that she couldn't get my attention, but instead that Cuddles interfered. She has other ways to get my attention if she really wants. She could just climb me like she normally does. Nevertheless, her feelings shouldn't be dismissed, and this is literally someone getting between us.

"Well, then I'll just have to get your attention, Raya! I believe Doc can manipulate microbes, and with that power, I'm certain he can make extra special treats. Like yogurt! Or booze!"

"You're not allowed to drink booze, Kira."

"That was when I was tiny and bleeding out. I'm neither of those things now."

For some reason, Foreman decides to chip in with some gibberish about how dragons shouldn't drink because our stomachs filter out the non-alcoholic components, leaving almost-pure alcohol to be picked up by our guts, causing our entire species to be lightweights. I don't believe him. I want a nice, cool cider for the summertime when it arrives, dang it! I need to steal an ice mage.

"You're bleeding, so you're one of those things."

Crap, the stabbing fungus slipped my mind. It's been a while, so my bleeding arm really should have stopped, but as I look down, there's a small trickle of blood still flowing. It had better not be an anticoagulant or blood-thinning fungus!

Focusing my magic, I will it into my wound to close it up, but instead purple goop starts oozing out of it. Foreman reacts fast by calling over Raya, and the spike of pain, as well as actually seeing it, makes me aware of them cutting into the wound. It freakin' hurts, but I'd rather not start oozing more than a normal amount.

"Shallow, but firm cuts, Raya. Like yer skinnin' a rabbit. Only rotten bits need cuttin'."

Since Foreman knows so much about these fungus critters, I nudge him about it, which turns out to be a mistake as he ends up stabbing me a little, but he does answer. According to him, venomous creatures like that end up being difficult to predict, since they each have a preferred way to kill, altering their venom slightly to fit it. And bleeding the prey with blood thinners is a known method. The jerks!

I don't remember the people we helped smelling like blood, and bringing it up earns me more explanation. With a grumble about being busy, he mentions how they don't need to bleed the target, that's just for combat, and they can simply touch their prey and siphon magic through skin contact. That's pretty gross.

"Is it magical venom?"

"Aye. Me kin's alchies can make yer an antidote. Ain't got one now, so we're left cuttin'."

"This might be a dumb question, since I'm not an expert on whatever that creature is, but wouldn't my venom work against that magic venom?"

"Fuckin' acidic dragons... Aye, 'twould work."

Heck yeah! I can just lick my wounds instead of getting repeatedly stabbed! Getting to work, I lather up the wound in my arm with a very generous amount of my saliva and geez, do I regret doing that! Ooooh, fuck me, that hurts. Turns out the dang fungal venom has anesthetic properties as well! Freakin'... I'm burning every dang fungus creature I meet from now on! No exceptions!

With vengeance properly sworn, I get back to licking my wound. I have to make sure that I get all the spores, and that involves sticking my tongue into the hole left behind by the organic spear. Okay, Kira, you've got this. You've had worse injuries than this. It's like freakin' pain receptor awareness day!

"Come here, you big baby. I'll try healing it."

Woo! First-aid kit to the rescue! Lauren approaches my arm while chanting her spell, and the magic surrounding her feels strong. I don't know the specifics of it, but Raya joins in by pouring a healing potion into my wound, and as Lauren touches it, a nauseating sensation overwhelms me. It's making my stomach lurch, and I'm struggling not to throw up. Whatever that magical combination is, it is not something I like...

Wooziness strikes hard and manages to knock me off my feet. If not for the soft landing in this conveniently placed rubble, I might have been hurt. Geez... Lauren needs to calm down with that magical concoction. I'm gonna lie here for a minute and just get myself under control. I hope that's a matter of needing to get used to the bizarre magic, rather than an allergic reaction. We should find out!

"Lauren, cast that spell again. We need to know whether it's bad for me or if it was a one-time thing like my dragon magic."

"That seems unwise, Kira. Are you sure you want me to do it?"

"Of course I'm sure. We have to learn about stuff like this. If I can get healed in a combat scenario and continue fighting without spending a bunch of my magic and having it hurt like hell, then we're better off!"

"Aye, knowin' yer axe is sharp can save yer life."

As Foreman agrees with me, Lauren channels her spell again and aims her palm right at my arm. The sensation of these weird forms of magic is like ants crawling under my scales, and I don't like it. But it feels powerful, and healing is often very useful.

"What do you think, Cuddles?"

Since I fell, Cuddles has taken up residence on the ground, rather than on my face. A smart move, given that I can crush most things without trying, and I'd rather not crush new acquaintances. I'm not sure what to think of her opinion on the matter, though. She seems more interested in looking at Raya now, leaving me with an inappropriate amount of jealousy at having my snoot protector taken from me.

Dang it, I want to say something, but I also told Raya to be less greedy... Well, I can't lie in this rubble and grumble about my pride conflicting with my greed all day! As I get up, it becomes clear that I need to shake some debris loose, but the best way to do that is to go for a flight. There's not enough room for that between the buildings around this square, though, so we'll have to leave on foot.

Looking around, I see several paths leading out, but the one I'm looking for is the main road. As far as I know, all towns have one and it's bigger than the rest. It's behind me, but I don't have to back up! The square is big enough for me to turn around, I just have to watch my tail, so it doesn't slam into something. Easy peasy!

Well, it would be easy peasy, if Doc wasn't in the way. He's standing by my arm, inspecting the remnants of the wound Lauren healed. It really is something I should have checked out myself, but I'm doing that now and it looks fine! Even though it hasn't quite healed yet. That dang fungus monster has made a great case for a vendetta. I can't have things sneaking around being able to injure me that easily.

Seeming to grow bored of the wound, he dips his finger in some of the slime left behind on the ground and scoops it into a small vial. I appreciate his curiosity, but that's gross.

Ignoring that, I get back to turning around without demolishing the town square. Lifting my tail up seems like an obvious way to reduce my length, but I'm still... I'm tired of watching every dang fragile building, dang it! I must have some goodwill built up and I'm gonna spend it on disregarding some property damage!

As I turn, my horns graze a building, creating a bit of a rift while my tail impacts something high up. Probably a chimney, so that's fixable. Lucky for me, there aren't any stupid streetlights littering the place, so that's more room for me.

I can finally head down the main road and, as I do, I find myself surprised that I'm not getting commentary on my destructive outburst. Looking back, Cuddles just follows along next to Foreman as they walk ahead of Doc, Raya, and Lauren. My staring draws the attention of Raya, and she throws me a smile as she speaks up.

"What are you looking at, Kira?"

"I'm just surprised none of you have said anything about the broken buildings. I got a little annoyed."

"Oh! Lauren didn't tell you about-"

"Shut up, Raya! Don't fucking tell her!"

"Lauren got drunk and broke several tables at the tavern! Ask her how much coin she has left!"

Not one to let such an offense go, Lauren grabs hold of Raya and picks her up before pulling on my magic to keep Raya quiet with her hand. Seems a little excessive to use dragon magic to clamp a hand over Raya's mouth, but it's good that she's getting more comfortable with it.

"How much money do you have, Lauren?"

"I don't have any coin, okay?! Raya has been paying for my food for several days..."

"That's funny. We'll get you some more back home."

Snickering to myself at the image of Lauren having to fork over her coin pouch brightens my mood, and I want to tease her about it, but she seems to be a bit sore about it right now. At least the mood change has given me a second wind, allowing me to not get bogged down by these annoying buildings. I'm gonna stop walking slowly so I can get out of town. It's not far, but I'm still much faster than everyone else here.

To my surprise, the stout little Foreman is following me and manages to keep up. The area opens up as we reach the fields surrounding the town. Giving my body a good shake and a stretch makes me feel a lot better. I'm impressed that Foreman managed to keep up with me, though. I wasn't running, but my stride is a lot bigger than his.

"Been wantin' t'ask yer. How much d'ya plan on keepin' an eye on me work in yer home, Kira?"

Geez, he's barely winded after having followed me.

"We can just make some ground rules. Don't be too reckless, treat the goblins as equals, share your profits with the town, and make sure to get some rest. I don't want you doing something stupid because you forgot to sleep."

He puts on a distinguished frown again as he strokes his beard in thought. I'm not sure what he thinks of it, but I think I know him well enough by now to know that he's about to call me-

"Yer'a strange one, Kira... Aye, I agree t' yer terms so far. Share some o' yer knowledge and our coffers will be overflowin'!"

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"I don't mind, but I don't know a lot of practical things. Sure, I know what an arc furnace is, but I don't know how to build it, or all the components, or even the components for the components. And then there are the machines necessary to build the components, so we can't do that. Although, maybe a lightning mage could be used for something like a shortcut..."

We should consult Merciferus to find out what she thinks the world is ready for. She definitely gives the impression that she's snooping in everyone's business. Simple things are probably fine. Nudging Foreman, I ask him if he knows what a windmill or watermill is while offering a quick explanation. His beard-stroking resumes as he stares at a rock on the ground.

"Nae... Back home, beasts're used t'drive shafts an' gears... But what yer sayin'... Folks don't go buildin' by rivers fer fear of what dwells in the silt, but a watermill..."

His mind seems to be spinning as he mumbles about this and that and how much power could be created by using a watermill. It's a good amount, sure, but the strength of animals in this crazy world would likely mean that they're superior in terms of raw output. Granted, the benefit of not getting trampled is desirable, especially for my tiny goblins. We don't have any rivers near Tuiran, though...

We'll think of something. For now, I see the rest of our team joining us. I don't remember which village had the book, but it should be easy enough to find the one with beets and messy dirt from my claws.

The cluster of dillydalliers are just meandering closer on their tiny legs, letting me wait forever for them... But it does give me a minute with Foreman.

"How long do dragons live?"

"Hmm... Karthemar's rumored t'be thousands o' cycles. ye'd'ave t'ask the Gods themselves. Worried 'bout yer friends?"

"Of course I am. They're keeping me sane, so what happens when they're not around anymore?"

"Don't know 'bout gobbos, but humies go on fer ninety cycles. Dragonforged folk even longer. Should the end take 'em, I promise yer, I'll be yer friend."

"To save the world from crazy Kira?"

"That'd be a perk, aye, 'cause yer might be a smidge kegged. But nay, likin' yer's enough fer me. Done a lotta wrong in me life, t'is why me crew an' I left the fortress. I ain't got th'slate t'judge ye."

I'm not sure what that means, but I appreciate that he sounds supportive. Even if he essentially called me nuts. Gonna have to give him a puff of smoke for that offense. While he waves his arms around to clear the smoke, I'm gonna stop worrying about varying lifespans and instead continue living in the moment. I hope he's right about my magic making them live longer. Even if that might be somewhat selfish.

"Kira! I have a treat!"

Raya seems to have broken off from the slowpokes, and now she's running toward us. I do want a treat, and as she approaches, I lower my head to greet her. Her bright smile lightens my mood as she closes the distance with a small pouch in her hand. The pouch smacks my face as Raya gives my nose a good, warm hug.

Not one to be slowed down by casual violence, she unties the string holding the pouch closed and pulls out several squares of deliciously sweet-smelling treats. I barely get a chance to open my mouth before the flavor hits. She immediately throws the candy into my mouth.

It's freakin' delicious!

"I have big ears, Kira. And I'm not going anywhere, so stop being sad about it, okay? And if you start being mean after I die, I'm coming back as a dead thing to tell you to be nice!"

She does have big ears and they're cute. And to make her point extra clear, she bonks me on the nose to let me know she's serious. She deserves a nudge of appreciation. I'd rather she didn't become undead, though. They have a history of being less than sociable.

"Listening in on other people's conversations is rude, Raya."

"Being a big dummy is rude too! Don't ruin now because later might be unfun."

"Y'chose wisely fer yer bond. Raya's a clever wee gobbo."

I know I chose wisely. Raya is the best, and she always knows how to deal with my oddities. But I appreciate the acknowledgment for sure.

Having completed her task of reassurance, Raya climbs my face and takes her place between my brow as the trio of slowpokes catches up. Cuddles wastes no time joining Raya as she begins purring, while Lauren and Doc head for my neck. As I turn my head a little to allow Lauren and Doc to grab hold of my horn, Raya uses her nails to grab hold of a few scales to not slide off my face.

Instead of leaving him on his own, Lauren helps Doc with instructions, making the process of getting him up on top of me easy.

"Wee! A marvelous method of mounting, I must say! I find myself giddy with excitement as the prospect of additional adventures approaches! Ooh! I do hope to visit unknown lands, perhaps get into a scrape or two! Three may be one too many, I am not overly experienced with the outside world. Kira, I wish to request we limit our scrapes to two until I acquire a taste for adventure."

"Deal! But then you have to pick a direction after we get some rest in Tuiran."

Foreman's reaction to our agreement can best be described as a deep, hearty chortle as he somehow manages to climb up my arm, and I'm not even lying down! I need to pump that guy for information as well, given how familiar he is with my species.

With everyone aboard, we're ready to head out! As I turn around, I spread my wings and I can feel everyone holding on a little tighter as we set off.

So, the goal is to find the disturbed dirt from my previous exploration along with beets, since that'll be the indication of the book's location. I can see a few beet fields, but the villages all look the same to me. Wood, rope, and gabled roofs.

We might be able to take a shortcut by having Raya pretend to read, so Cuddles can show us where to go. As I instruct her to do so, I feel movement, but given Raya's location above my eyes, I can't see her. I can see Cuddles looking curious, though, and her pointing finger suggests that she understood Raya. We're going seventy percent the wrong way!

A quick pivot and we're heading toward the location Cuddles is pointing to, and the prospect of importing beets becomes even more possible as they have so many fields. Passing over a village earns me a whap to the nose from Cuddles, and now she's pointing back to where we came from, indicating that we flew too far. Easily mendable!

Another quick pivot and a landing, and we're at the legendary book village! It looks unassuming, not giving away that it hides a tome of secrets. And, unlike the main village with the fungus monster, this one isn't deserted. Within moments, a couple of dozen thin-looking felifolk come to greet us, the familiar bookkeeper among them, and our meeting becomes awkward as they bow. Dang it! I can't even tell them to stop it!

Not one to be stopped by ceremony, Raya leaps down and begins her reading act, even going so far as to straighten her back and pretend to be a librarian. Her strut is perfect as she pretends to turn the pages of an imaginary book. The elder is quick to understand what she's trying to say and runs off into the village, making this a very easy quest.

The old guy is fast and we don't even have time to get distracted before he returns with the book clutched to his chest. As he approaches, his breathing shows his age, but that doesn't stop him from proudly presenting the book for me to read. It's so tiny that I definitely need someone to turn the pages for me, but at least we've got access to it!

"Foreman, could you hand over some money and see if he wants to sell it?"

"Nay, sent me coin with me boys."

Dang it. Naturally I ask Doc the same question, but...

"I fear I must repeat Foreman's response, as my allotment of funds is not scheduled to arrive until the day after tomorrow."

Dang it! And Lauren is out of cash, too. And I don't want Raya spending her mission reward, which means I'll have to dragon up and stop being such a baby about paying for stuff... Ugh, this quest turned horrible very fast...

Clenching my crop, I feel a small mass ascend my throat, and as it reaches my tongue, I spit it out on the ground. A small collection of gold and silver covered in some sort of residue that I'll pretend is protective. With a talon, I point to the pile and then to the book while looking at the elder. He appears a little unsure, but I'd rather not pressure him into a deal he doesn't want to do.

Some other felifolk approaches and begins rummaging through the pile of slime and money, and the gasp coming from this random guy makes it known that I am about to make a huge mistake...

"Doba ti curai yerun dara makoi' uzukron yia kron... [there is more than four fields' worth of coin...]"

As the crowd erupts into murmuring, the sinking feeling of a growing mistake takes hold... And it only gets worse as the elder approaches Raya with the book and hands it to her. Dang it! I definitely overpaid! Freakin' heck!

And now some of the crowd is splitting off, cheering... The jerks... I need to practice flexing my crop, so I can avoid a mistake like that in the future, that's for sure. At least they appreciate it, so that's nice. And they might need it, given their recent ordeals. Stupid mixed feelings...

"Kira! What does this word mean?"

Raya isn't wasting any time as she holds the book up for me to read, and she's pointing at the word "manure," which makes sense, given the farming-related content I've seen in the book. With her request completed, she starts pointing at other words that she thinks look fun, but a lot of it is just elemental components necessary for soil health. I'm curious whether there's more advanced stuff in the later pages.

Nudging her about it, she turns to a little past midway, and it changes from agriculture, to... why the author started a village of cat people... They wanted a bunch of cat people to snuggle with, and as I continue reading, it becomes clear that their motives were questionable. It doesn't take long for the stories of the early days of these cat villages to devolve into...

"Oh great! I overpaid for porn! Dang it! Who starts a village of people to indulge in their fantasies like that?"

"Kira, you became a minor deity to a goblin village because you were lonely."

"Now isn't the time to point out my hypocrisy, Lauren!"

She's sitting behind my horns with Foreman keeping me from shaking my head, and I can't do anything to punish her for this great offense I've suffered.

"And you keep wanting to steal people because they're interesting to you."

Now Raya is joining in?!

"I do believe my presence is primarily motivated by your appreciation of my protective gear. An appreciation I most certainly share."

"Don't be tempted by their wicked ways, Doc! They're tricking you into teasing me! And I like you because you're an interesting person too."

"Aye, yer got me wit' ye for me craft and me knowledge."

"If you guys don't quiet down with all this teasing, I'm turning this dragon around and we're heading back to Tuiran!"

There! A threat ought to set them strai-

"Isn't that where we're headed already, Kira?"

"New rule! No more ganging up on me to point out obvious flaws in my reasoning."

The snickering makes it pretty obvious that nobody is going to follow that rule, but that's fine. I'd rather have mistakes pointed out before I make them.

Leaning my head down leads to Raya climbing up onto me and walking over Cuddles to reach her spot. I'm not sure she's gonna be able to read much during our flight, but we've succeeded in our mission, made mistakes along the way, and now we can head back home!

As we set off, a thud and a bonk against my brow let me know that Raya didn't hold onto the book as well as she should have. But she isn't complaining about it being lost, so I'm sure it's fine. I don't really know which way home is, aside from north, so that's where we're headed. If we add west to the equation, we can find the ocean and follow it until we see my mountain, which sounds like an excellent plan to me.

"Lauren, do you know what happened to Sarah and Punchy? I didn't get around to meeting them again after the hot tub."

"Oh, they're tied up in Guild Politics. Tae'liri felt they knew you far too well to not use them as sources for how to prevent you from becoming a threat. They plan to visit Tuiran when they can, and I'm sure Punchy will tell you how awful it is to have to sit still at a table and talk."

Ooh! I'm looking forward to hearing about that. He's a clever guy, but I can see him getting bored for sure. At least Sarah has a good chance of controlling the conversation, she's a fierce tiny woman.

For now, we'll continue our flight and deal with that later. Foreman and Doc seem quite enamored by the oak forests passing under us, but they haven't seen anything yet! The upcoming mountain range is going to be even more impressive! Even more so as evening approaches. The sunset seen over the mountains is gonna be gorgeous.

As I speed up, the ground blitzes by, leaving only the sound of startled animals as a sign of our presence. Raya and Lauren are used to it, and I can't see Foreman and Doc, but Cuddles appears to be regretting having taken the spot on my nose. Her claws are digging into the small gaps between my scales to keep her attached to me, and it's working!

The mountain range is closing in fast, and as we pass it, the red and yellow sky of sunset shines through in a beautiful tapestry of a day's passing. The ensemble of weirdos on my head agrees with me if the expressions of awe are anything to go by.

I think I can see my mountain in the distance, but there are a few mountains around, so it's mostly guesswork. I can't go wrong with west and then north, though. The ocean is a big giveaway that I'm on the right track.

As we pass over the mountain range, more expressions of awe make themselves known, but this time, commentary about the cold is mixed in. I can help with that, at least a little. Focusing my magic, I blow heated air through my nostrils, keeping it from getting hot enough to burn anyone. It's a bit of a chore to do, but the obvious appreciation I'm met with makes it worth it.

The wildlife even spreads to these mountaintops as well, giving plenty of opportunity to hunt deliciousness, but not now! Don't let them tempt you with their delicious flesh, Kira!

With a crisis averted and the ocean coming closer, we can relax and set our course for the north. Having crested the mountains, we can start flying lower to the ground. We're following the terrain as it dips, keeping a safe distance from the ground, but low enough for the rocks and spikes to zoom by.

I don't have much in the way of time-keeping, but we've definitely been flying for a while. The sensation of both Foreman and Doc leaning from side to side, catching the sights, is a delight, but it's about to come to an end as the fortress city of whatever Turgai's commander said the name was, Marg-something, comes into view.

The name doesn't matter, it's a landmark, and I know where we are! My forest is up ahead, and we're almost home! As I speed up to get there faster, I'm met with demands to slow down and complaints about the cold. The cloudless night sky does lean toward it being quite cold for non-dragons, and even Cuddles is shivering a little. It seems my soft billows of heat aren't enough anymore.

The plains surrounding the fortress city are no match for my speed, and soon the ground below changes from petrichor-scented grasslands to forested familiarity. The air feels different but welcoming, like home after being gone for too long.

The final stretch of our flight has me slowing down, since, while I'm confident I could slow down abruptly, I'd rather not launch someone from my face.

Tuiran is finally in sight properly, and it looks different. I'm sure that this is my forest and that's my mountain, but Tuiran's buildings have changed. They're built of bricks with wooden frames. The place oozes magic and freakin' everything has enchantments. What the heck has Elder Turo been up to?

The most notable thing, of course, is that a lot of the streets have become wider. They've made Tuiran dragon-accessible! YUSH! There are paths big enough to fit me throughout the city with tiny squares that might be just big enough to be junctions for me to turn around. At least turn partway. I am pretty big, after all, but that's good enough!

The main square is still located in the same place, and that's our goal for now. As we fly over the town, the streets erupt in excitement, and as I see the goblins, it becomes clear that they're different...

"Foreman, why are my goblins different?"

"Hmm... Top o'the mountain ought t'be far enough..."

"Why does the top of the mountain matter?"

"Yer hoard's there, ain't it? Don' go tellin' me yer hoard's in th'town... Y'don' kno', ye irresponsible fool!"

His shouting devolves into a more guttural, nonsensical rumbling about how I screwed up, but nobody told me that I couldn't place my place of power in the middle of town. We can deal with that later, for now, I'll land and greet folks! I'm looking forward to hearing what people have been up to!

The moment my feet touch the ground, a cluster of goblins comes rushing in and they're definitely looking more robust. A closer similarity to Raya than the goblins I first met. Well, looks like I don't have to worry about Tuiran being left defenseless, so I'm gonna consider that a victory. We're getting all the victories, except that time I overpaid for a book on agriculture, food, and medicine... and porn... Dang felifolk. Hopefully, the first three parts of the book will turn out to be useful when we get a chance to dive into it.

We can't stand around here all night, though. Leaning down, Lauren and Raya move to help Doc and Foreman down, the grumpy dwarf still grumbling about a lack of responsibility. As far as I can tell, people are happy, though. So I'm sure it's fine.

"We welcome you back, Guardian!"

Ooh! Elder Turo is here! The old goblin with gray hair is marching up to me, looking a lot less stressed than when we left. And more scaly.

"Before we get distracted, Turo. What's with the scales and how are people dealing with them?"

"Your promise was kept! You offered us safety, and we can now protect ourselves by your might. There has been an increase in fights, but we also have fewer injuries."

Oh! Neat! That's good news, but I think I have to set the record straight here.

"Just to be clear, I'm not someone to be worshipped. I don't want worship. And most of all, I really don't want Lauren to be right about me being a minor deity."

Luckily for me, Turo is quick to dismiss my worries as he talks about how a few gobbies were born with some magical ability and some guy named Kanen has volunteered to teach them magic. I have no idea who that is, so I nudge Raya about it, and she explains that he was the mage she met in the woods who thought she was a demon. It doesn't really enlighten me, but she seems confident that he's not a threat, so that's good enough for me.

This freakin' town is the best gig I've ever had, it runs itself! And a crowd of people showing up to greet me at midnight feels incredible. I have a town of Dragon goblins! And they're so cute!

Wait, if it runs itself, will I still be entitled to tribute?