Rotgoriel opened draconic eyes and found that one of them didn’t work. And that half of his face throbbed with the worst pain he’d ever felt.

Roaring his agony, he rolled across the ground, screaming until he felt a bit better. Eventually he noticed that a blue woman and Geebo were trying to soothe him.

“My eye?” he asked once the shock of the sudden pain had faded.

“Gone, I fear,” said the blue woman. “It was a worthy sacrifice, though. It saved you from being the puppet of that thing.”

“Well,” Rotgoriel rumbled, taking satisfaction from that. “I suppose it is only fair, after what I have done.”

Geebo nodded, frills flapping. “We will get it fixed, Little Great One! It can be undone. It will just take time and magic.”

“Time and magic,” Rotgoriel said, realizing that he had changed. His mind was more settled now, it was easier to focus on things. The pain had distracted him, but now... now he was feeling the differences.

And hadn’t Geebo been somewhat bigger, before?

Rotgoriel rose to his height and gaped as he towered over his minion. “I... I am huge. What is this? Status.”

He read over the numbers that defined himself in body and mind, and his breath whistled through his fangs as he contemplated the sheer power that Rich had brought him.

Yes. Yes, it had been the right move to ally with the invader... no, not the invader. Not now.

Now they were brothers, more or less. It had been them against not just one but two worlds. And they had saved each other.

A ludicrous thought, a dragon calling a human a brother.

But then, the human thought Rotgoriel’s world to be a game.

And worryingly enough, the memories he had gained from Rich showed that his brother might be right.

“Everything I know is false? Nothing but a game for humans to amuse themselves with? Is nothing real?” Rotgoriel mused to himself.

The downside of having a much-improved mind was that now questions like this didn’t go away when he turned his attention elsewhere. They nagged and teased, and he knew they’d cause him doubt later. Doubts were a bad thing for dragons to have, a weakness that could be exploited. He would have to step carefully.

“Oh, what is real, when you get down to it?” the blue woman spoke. Her name was Aunarox, he remembered. And he had promised to let her accompany him. That much he remembered.

Then he turned back to his status, to confirm one last thing.

And yes, he’d read it correctly. “It is time,” he told Geebo. “You must watch me while I sleep.”

“Little Great One. You are molting now?” Geebo’s neck frills shook in joy.

“I am. When I waken, we have much to do,” Rotgoriel decided. “I still need a lair and a proper hoard.”

“Ah, about that...” Aunarox said, and started pulling vials of powder, small crystals, and gold knicknacks out of thin air.

Rotgoriel rumbled with pleasure, holding up each one and examining the treasure, before placing it carefully around him. It took a good hour to get right, and finally the mirror took the place of honor, lying right before his head. “A small hoard, but it shall suffice,” he decided. “Geebo, are you ready?”

“I am! You may nap with impunity, Little Great One!”

He started to lay down... but his newfound charisma reminded him that it could be considered poor manners to sleep without one last word to Aunarox. “And what of you, djinn? Will you be well while we sleep?”

“How long shall you snooze again, oh superior scaled sultan?”

“A few years.”

“Bah! That is nothing compared to my previous... circumstances as a guest. I shall stay nearby, continuing my experiments, I think. Fear not! I shall lend my talents to ensuring you remain undiscovered. We serve the same lady, after all, so it is... on the house! Yes, that is the saying.”

“Very well,” Rotgoriel said. “Rank up—” With his last conscious breath he chose his element and his form, and then he fell into dreams and nothing remained.

RUTGER'S CHARACTER SHEET

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Rutger Royal

Age: 2 Days

Jobs:

Cultist (Anjuuta) 7, High Dragon Hatchling 10

Attributes Pools Defenses

Strength: 306 Constitution: 303 Hit Points: 609 Armor: 165

Intelligence: 60 Wisdom: 40 Sanity: 100 Mental Fortitude: 165

Dexterity: 15 Agility: 40 Stamina: 55 Endurance: 0

Charisma: 55 Willpower: 301 Moxie: 356 Cool: 165

Perception: 301 Luck: 52 Fortune: 353 Fate: 17

General Skills

Brawling – Level 15

Climb – Level 4

Dodge – Level 13

Fly – Level 14

Ride – Level 1

Stealth – Level 2

Swim – Level 2

High Dragon Hatchling Skills

Burninate – Level 13

Chomp – Level 8

Draconic Tongue – Level N/A

Dragonseye – Level 15

Flameborn – Level N/A

Hoarder – Level 1

Limited Equipment – Level N/A

No Thumbs – Level N/A

Scaly Wings – Level N/A

Slow to Age – Level N/A

Tail Slap – Level 2

Cultist Skills

Conceal Status – Level 1

Curses – Level 1

Dark Chant – Level 1

Darkspell: Fool's Gold – Level 1

Enhance Pain – Level 1

Occult Eye – Level N/A

Servant of Darkness – Level N/A

Transfer Wounds – Level 1

Unhinged Mind – Level N/A

Unlocked Jobs

Cleric, Conjuror, Fire Elementalist, Grifter, Knight

Gear:

1 Mirror of Planar Contact, assorted low-level reagents and crystals, and a dozen bits of golden furnishings and random objects